Ex  IGtfartH 

SEYMOUR  DURST 


'  'Tort  nteuw  ^im^t-rj^-m,  M^rrJjatarui 


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Because  U  has  heen  said 
" Ever'thmg  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  hook." 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  LiiiRARV 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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 ■  ^r^F-  


APPENDIX. 

CONTAINING 


oiiDZiN  Tiniz: 


RESE.1RCHEIS  <fc  REMIJVISCEJrCES, 


OF  NEW  YORK  CITY. 


BY  J.  F.  WATSOX,  IN  1828. 


Oh  !  dear  is  a  tale  cf  the  Olden  Time 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  following  pages  relative  to  Nev/  York,  owe  their  origin  to  a. 
short  visit  made  to  that  city  in  1823,  by  the  author  of  the  Annals  oi 
Philadelphia. 

They  were  originally  written,  without  any  ulterior  view  to  publica- 
tion, and  solely  for  personal  gratification  and  preservation.- — But, 
being  since  seen  by  some  friends  who  have  solicited  their  publication, 
they  now  meet  the  public  eye  in  their  original  form,  as  well  to  indulge 
them,  as  to  promote  more  enlarged  researches  in  that  city,  by  those 
New  Yorkers  who  may  have  more  time  and  better  opportunities  than 
was  possessed  by  the  present  contributor. 


NEW  YORK  CITY. 


Let  us  satisfy  our  eyes 
AVitli  the  memorials,  uud  the  things  ot"  Tame 
That  do  renown  this  city  I" 

It  is  scarcely  possible  that  an  observing  and  considerate  spectator, 
who  had  seen  New  York  in  its  loneliness,  some  thirty  years  ago, 
should  be  now  ini^ensible  to  its  rapidly  rising  glories : — he  must  feel 
grateful  emotions  of  surprise  and  exultation  at  the  many  imposing 
proofs  of  her  distinguished  prosperity. 

Having  myself  been  familiar  v»itli  the  localities  of  New  York,  in 
my  boyhood,  33  years  ago,  the  numerous  changes  of  localities  every 
where  surprised  me  on  my  visit  there  in  1828.  Wishing  to  preserve 
some  recollections  of  the  things  I  saw  or  heard,  or  of  the  imaginations 
which  occupied  my  mind,  I  determined  to  give  them  *' shape  and 
form,"  in  the  following  Memorial.  They  may  create  grateful  images 
lo  my  mind  in  future  years. 

While  I  thus  contemplated  New  York  as  "  from  her  meridian  arch 
of  power,"  I  went  back  instinctively  to  its  earliest  origin  as  the  suhurhs 
o(  a.  military  station ;  there  I  saw  in  vision  the  parse  population  of 
Hollanders,  the  hardy  Pioneers,  by  whose  primitive  efforts  their  pre- 
^,ent  descendants  enjoy  so  much  affluence  and  repose  !- — I  saw,  in  idea, 
the  first  adventurous  Yatch,  the  "  Half  Moon,"  first  enter  this  present 
crowded  and  busy  harbour,  then, 

 "one  still 

And  solemn  desert,  in  primeval  garb, 
Hung  round  his  lonely  bark !" 

In  this  contemplation,  retrospection  is  touching;  there  is  a  poetry  of 
feeling  in  the  subject ! — duller  minds  may  be  insensible  to  the  charm 
of  *'  Olden  Time  "  affections  without  an  adapted  stimulous,  and  yet, 
even  these,  can  be  stirred,  and  by  a  graphic  picture  of  the  past, 
"  sometimes  made  to  wonder  that  they  never  satv  before  what  he  shows 
them,  or  that  they  never  yet  had  felt  what  he  impresses  !" 

With  views  and  emotions  like  these,  which  however  scouted  by 
others,  /  shall  ever  delight  to  cherish,  both  con  amore,  and  as  an  ex- 
pedient lengthening  the  span  of  our  existence, 

"Down  History's  lengthening,  widening  way." 
/was  prepared  to  explore  some  of  the  arcana  of  New  York,  with 
f?ome  such  affections  and  feelings  as  Dr.  Johnson  imputed  to  himself 


4 


Sew  York  City. 


in  investigating  the  construction  of  Milton's  Paradise  Lost,  saying, 
"  To  trace  back  the  stmcture  through  all  its  varieties  to  the  simplicity 
o{  its  first  plan;  to  find  what  was  first  projected;  whence  the  scheme 
was  taken  ;  haic  it  was  improved  ;  hi/  what  assistance  it  was  executed  ; 
.ind  frojn  what  stores  the  materials  were  collected.  However  obscure 
this  may  be  in  itself ^  nothing  can  be  more  worthy  of  rational  curio- 
sity r 

To  attain  these  objects,  in  my  case,  I  occupied  myself  in  the  leisure 
hours  of  a  fortnight-tarry  at  New  York,  in  making  personal  inquiries 
of  the  aged  and  the  experienced,  or  by  exploring  the  localities,  or  the 
archives  of  office,  as  the  case  might  seem  to  require.  The  result, 
^l^d      reward,  arc  comprised  in  the  following  pages. 


GENERAL  VIEWS  OF  NEW  YORK, 

As  scann'd  with  bird-eye  view. 

The  city  "  stretching  street  on  street,"  as  in  her  present  grandeur 
and  magnitude,  enrols  a  total  population  of  180,000  souls;  a  collec- 
tion of  about  30,000  houses  ;  a  tonnage  of  300,400  tons — this  is  ex- 
clusive of  10500  tons  of  steam  boats; — and  an  assessed  value  ot 
property  of  114  millions  dollars; — her  lighted  and  paved  streets,  lined 
with  houses,  extend  to  Thirteenth  street,  on  the  North  River  side,  to 
the  dry  dock,  on  the  East  River  side,  and  to  Thirteenth  street  on  the 
Broadway  and  Bowery  streets.  All  its  modern  streets  are  streight  and 
wide,  graduated  to  easy  and  gradual  ascents  or  descents ;  and  where 
formerly  very  narrow  lanes  existed,  or  crowded  edifices  occurred,  they 
have  either  cut  off  the  encroaching  fronts  of  houses,  as  in  William 
street  and  Maiden  lane,  or  cut  through  solid  masses  of  houses,  as  in 
opening  Beekman  and  Fulton  streets.  They  have  widened  the  bounds 
of  the  city,  both  on  the  North  and  Ea,st  rivers,  by  building  up  whole 
streets  of  houses,  at,  and  beyond  Greenwich  street  on  the  western 
side ;  and,  at  and  from  Pearl  street  on  the  eastern  river.  The  value 
and  magnitude  of  these  improvements,  all  redeemed  from  the  former 
rivers  there,  are  really  astonishing  to  the  beholder. 

There  is  every  indication  to  evince  the  fact,  that  New  York  was  in 
primitive  days  the  "  city  of  hills ;"  such  verdant  hills,  of  successive  un- 
dulaiion,  as  the  general  state  of  the  whole  country-part  of  the  island 
now  presents.  Thus,  at  the  extreme  S.  end  of  the  Broadway,  where 
the  ancient  fort  formerly  stood,  was  an  elevated  mount,  quite  as  ele- 
vated as  the  general  level  of  that  street  is  now  before  Trinity  Church, 
and  thence  regularly  declining  along  that  street  to  the  beach  on  the 
North  River.  The  hills  were  sometimes  precipitous  as  from  Beekman's 
and  Peck's  Hills,  in  the  neighborhoods  of  Pearl  street  and  Beekman 
hnd  Ferry  streets,  and  from  the  middle  Dutch  church  in  Nassau  street 
down  to  Maiden  lane ;  and  sometimes  gradually  sloping,  as  on  either 
hills  along  the  line  of  the  water,  coursing  along  the  region  of  Maider 
lane.  Between  many  of  the  hills  flowed  in  several  invasions  of  water  : 
Such  as  "  the  canal,^^  so  called,  to  gratify  Dutch  recollections,  which 
was  an  inroad  of  river  water  up  Broad  street; — and  up  Maiden  lane, 
ilowed  another  inroad,  through  Smith's  marsh  or  valley ;  a  little  be- 
yond Peck's  Slip,  existed  a  low  water  courso;  whi«b  in  high  tide  ivater 


0  C'eneral  Views  of  New  Yorlk. 

ran  quite  up  in  union  with  the  Collect,  (Kolck)  and  tlionce  joininjr  with 
Lispenaril's  swamp  on  North  River  side,  produced  a  union  of  Avaters 
quite  across  tlie  fornior  city.  Thu?,  converting  it  occa^3ionaliy  into  an 
island,  and  sliouing  a  reason  for  the  })resent  lowness  of  the  line  of 
Pearl  street  as  it  traverses  Chatham  street.  There  they  once  had  to 
use  boats  occasionally,  to  cross  the  foot  passengers  passing  over  from 
either  side  of  the  high  rising  ground  ranging  on  both  sides  of  Pearl 
Ktroet,  as  that  street  inclines  across  the  city  till  it  runs  out  upon 
lJ;oadv.-ay,  vis  a  vis,  the  hospital. 

These  details  of  mere  streets,  are  necessarily  dull,  and  indeed  not 
ru^ccptible  of  any  farther  interest,  than  as  they  may  serve  as  metes 
nnd  bounds,  witliin  which,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  more  agreeable  and 
iinag-inative  topics,  to  grow  upon  the  reader,  as  the  subject  advances. 


PRIMITIVE  NEW  YORK. 

We  backward  look  to  scenes  no  longer  there. 

A  perspective  map  of  New  York,  in  1673,  as  preserved  in  Du  Simi- 
fiere's  Historical  Collection,  in  the  Philadelphia  Library,  and  latterly 
illustrated  by  J.  W.  Moulton,  Esq.,  from  his  researches  among  the 
Dutch  records,  gives  us  a  pretty  accurate  conception  of  the  outline 
features  of  the  city  at  the  time  when  it  became,  by  the  peace  of  1674, 
permanently  under  British  dominion,  and  thence  gradually  to  wear  off 
its  former  exclusive  Knickerbocker  character. 

At  that  time,  almost  all  the  houses  presented  their  gable  ends  to  the 
Street ;  and  all  the  most  important  public  buildings,  such  as  "  Stuyve- 
sant  Huys,"  on  the  water  edge,  at  present,  Moore  and  Front  streets ;  and 
the  "  Stadt-huys,"  or  City  Hall,  on  Pearl  street,  at  the  head  of  Coentie's 
Slip,  were  then  set  on  the  fore-ground  to  be  the  more  readily  seen 
from  the  river.  The  chief  part  of  the  town  of  that  day,  lay  along  tho 
East  River  (called  Salt  River  in  early  days)  and  descending  from  the 
high  ridge  of  ground  along  the  line  of  the  Broadway.  A  great  artifi- 
cial dock  for  vessels,  lay  between  "  Stuyvesant  Huys,"  above  referred 
to,  and  the  bridge  over  the  canal  at  its  debouche  on  the  present  Broad 
street.  Three  "  Half  Moon  Forts,"  called  "  Rondeels,''^  lay  at  equi- 
distances, for  the  defence  of  the  place  ;  the  first  at  Coentie's  Slip  and 
the  third  at  the  "  Water  Gate,"  or  outer  bounds  of  the  then  city,  being 
the  fort  of  the  present  Wall  street,  so  called  from  its  being  then  shut 
in  there  by  a  line  of  palisades,  along  the  said  street,  quite  over  to  the 
junction  of  Grace  and  Lumber  street,  where  the  North  River  limits 
then  terminated  in  a  redoubt. 

One  of  our  original  Philadelphians,  Wm.  Bradford,  the  first  printer 
of  Philadelphia,  has  left  us  a  lively  picture  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
as  it  stood  about  the  year  1729,  being  his  publication  from  an  original 
survey  by  James  Lyne.  The  one  which  I  have  seen  (a  great  rarity 
considered)  at  the  city  commissioners,  should  be,  I  should  think,  but 
a  reduced  copy,  inasmuch  as  my  MSS.  "  Annals  of  Philadelphia," 
show  that  in  the  year  1721,  the  son  of  the  above  William  Bradford, 
(named  Andrew)  advertises  in  his  "  Mercury"  the  sale  of  "  a  curious 
prospect  of  New  York,  on  four  sheets  of  paper,  7'oyal  size."  What 
an  article  for  an  antiquary  ! 

By  the  map  aforesaid,  it  is  shown  in  1729,  that  there  was  no  street 
beyond  the  Broadway,  westward,  but  that  the  lots  on  the  western  side 


5 


PrimUivc  New  Yorl(. 


of  that  street  ilcsceiulcd  severally  to  tlie  beach  ;  tliat  from  CourtlancU 
street,  northward,  all  tlie  <Troiind,  west  of  Broadway,  was  occupied  by 
trees  and  tilla<rc  and  called  the  "  Kings  Farm."  The  eastern  side 
of  the  city,  was  all  bounded  by  Water  street,  having  houses  only  on 
the  land  side,  and  its  northern  limits  terminating  with  Bcekman  street. 
At  the  foot  or  debouche  of  Broad  street  were  two  great  docks,  called 
West  and  East  Dock,  as  they  lay  on  either  side  of  said  Broad  street ; — 
they  occupied  the  ground  noiv  built  upon  from  Water  street,  nearly  out 
to  South  street,  and  from  the  east  side  of  Moore  street,  nearly  up  to 
Coenties  Slip.  Between  present  Moore  street  and  Whitehall  street,  lay 
the  "  Ship  Yards,"  and  all  along  where  now  tov/er  stately  trees  in  the 
Battery  Promenade,  lay  numerous  rocks  forming  "  the  Ledge,"  having 
the  river  close  up  to  the  line  of  the  present  State  street  fVonting  the 
Battery.  How  wonderful  then  is  the  modern  extension  of  this  city,  by 
carrying  out  whole  streets  and  numerous  buildings,  to  places  before 
submersed  in  water  / — thus  practising,  with  signal  benefit,  the  re- 
nowned predilections  and  ingenuity  of  their  transatlantic  ancestors  1 


ANCIENT  MEMORIALS. 

*'ril  note  *era  in  my  book  of  memory." 

The  MSS.  documents  and  recorded  facts  of  New  York  city  and 
colonial  history,  are,  it  is  said,  very  voluminous  and  complete.  Mr. 
Moulton's  history  declares  there  are  one  hundred  volumes  of  folio,  of 
almost  unexplored  MSS.  among  the  records  of  the  State.  What 
abundant  material  for  research  must  these  afford,  whenever  the  proper 
spirit  for  their  investigation  is  awakened ! 

I  am  myself  aware  that  the  city  itself  is  rich  in  "  hoar  antiquity,'* 
for  I  have  ascertained  that  numerous  books  of  records,  are  of  ready 
access  to  such  congenial  minds  as  can  give  their  affections  to  the 
times  by -gone.  Many  of  them  are  of  the  old  Dutch  dynasty  and  have 
bad  no  translator.  For  instance,  there  are  in  the  County  Clerk's 
Office,  a  book  of  Records,  of  1656 — another  of  1657  ; — orders  of  the 
Burgomasters,  in  1658 — another  of  their  resolutions  and  orders,  from. 
1661  to  1664.    There  are  also  some  books  of  deeds,  &c. 

It  would  be  "  a  work  of  supererogation,"  to  aim  at  the  general 
translation  of  such  a  mass  of  papers :  but  it  is  really  surprising  that 
hitherto  no  "  ardent  spirit"  greedy  of  "antiquarian  love,"  should  have 
been  inspired  to  make  his  gleanings  from  them  !  A  judicious  mind, 
seeking  only  the  strange  or  the  amusing  of  "  the  olden  time,"  might 
with  a  ready  facility  extract  their  honey  only,  and  leave  the  cumbrous 
comb  behind.  I  myself  have  made  the  experiment.  I  found  in  the 
office  of  the  Common  Council,  the  entire  City  Records,  in  English, 
from  the  year  1675,  downwards  to  the  present  day.  From  the  first 
volume,  embracing  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  (to  1691)  I  was  permit- 
ted, through  the  politeness  of  General  Jacob  Morton,  the  Clerk  of 
Council,  to  make  the  following  extracts.  These,  while  they  furnish 
in  some  instances  appropriate  introduction  to  sundry  topics  intended 
in  these  pages,  will  also  show  that  but  a  very  small  portion  of  the 
whole  mass,  is  desirable  for  the  entertainment  of  modern  eyes,  and 
therefore  not  to  be  sought  after ; — it  is  even  satisfying  and  useful  to 
know  how  little  need  be  known ! 

I  give  the  following  from  "  the  Minutes,"  consecutively  as  they  oc- 
curred,— to  wit : 

October,  1675. — The  canoes  of  the  Indians,  wheresoever  found,  are 
to  be  collected  to  the  north  side  of  Long  Island,  as  a  better  security  to 
the  inhabitants,  in  case  of  their  having  any  purpose  to  aid  th®  Cana> 


10 


Ancient  Memorials* 


dian  enemies.  At  same  time  it  is  ordered  that  all  Indians  near  New 
York,  should  make  their  coming  winter  quarters  at  Hell  Gate,  so  a^^ 
to  be  ready  of  control  or  inspection. 

It  is  ordered,  that  because  of  the  "  abuse  in  their  oyle  caske,"  on 
the  east  end  of  Long  Island,  there  shall  be  "  a  public  tapper  of  oyle" 
in  each  tovvne  where  the  whaling  design  is  followed.  Thus  evincing 
the  former  business  of  whalers  in  those  parts. 

Governor  Andros  orders  that  by  reason  of  the  change  of  government, 
the  inhabitants  shall  take  an  oath  of  allegiance  to  their  new  sovereign. 
There  are  only  thirty-six  recorded  names  who  conform ! 

The  Mayor  in  the  approach  of  New  Year's  day,  commands  the 
disuse  of  firing  guns. 

The  city  gates  are  ordered  to  be  closed  every  night  at  9  o'clock, 
and  to  be  opened  at  day-light.  The  citizens  in  general  are  to  serve 
their  turns  as  watchmen,  or  be  fined.  No  cursing  or  swearing  shall 
be  used  by  them.  They  are  carefully  to  go  frequently  towards  "  the 
bridge,  for  greater  safety;  [meaning  the  bridge,  I  take  it  at  the  great 
dock,  at  the  end  of  Broad  street.]  Every  citizen  [for  the  purposes  of 
guard]  is  to  keep  always  in  his  house  a  good  fire-lock,  and  at  least  six 
rounds  of  bail. 

The  rates  of  tavern  fare  are  thus  decreed  and  ordered  : — For  lodgings 
3d.;  for  meals,  8d.;  brandy,  per  gill,  6d.;  French  wines,  a  quart.  Is.  3d. 
syder,  a  quart,  4d.;  double  beere,  a  quart,  3d.;  and  mum,  a  quart,  6d. 

The  Mayor  proposes  that  they  who  own  convenient  land  to  build 
upon,  if  they  do  not  speedily  build  thereon,  it  be  valued  and  sold  to 
those  who  will.  This  being  proposed  to  the  Governor,  who  as  Mili- 
tary Chief,  always  had  a  control  in  the  scmi-militaire  city,  the  sam^ 
was  afterwards  adopted.  How  valueless  must  have  been  lots  then^ 
since  so  estimable,  which  could  thus  "go  a  begging"  in  1675 ! 

In  1676,  all  the  inhabitants  living  in  the  Streete,  called  the  Here 
Graft,  (the  same  called  Gentleman's  Canal,"  and  since  Broad  street) 
shall  be  required  to  fill  up  the  graft,  ditch,  or  common  shore,  and  level 
the  same. 

"  Tanners'  Pitts"  are  declared  to  be  a  nuisance  within  the  city,  and 
therefore  it  is  ordered,  they  shall  only  exercise  their  functions  as 
tanners  without  the  towne.  This  ordinance  will  account  for  the  nu- 
merous tanneries  once  remembered  in  Bcekman's  Swamp,  now  again 
driven  thence  by  encroaching  population,  but  the  premises  still  retained 
as  curriers  and  leather  dealers,  making  the  whole  of  that  former  re- 
gion still  a  proper  Leather  Towne  ! 


Ancient  Memorials^ 


n 


It  is  ordered,  for  the  sake  of  better  securing  a  sufficiency  of  breads 
that  no  grain  be  allowed  to  be  distilled.  How  many  wretched  fami- 
lies of  the  present  day  could  now  profit  by  such  a  restraint — who 
abound  in  whiskey  and  lack  bread ! 

It  is  ordered,  that  innkeepers  be  fined,  from  whose  houses  Indians 
may  come  out  drunk :  and  if  it  be  not  ascertained  by  whom,  the 
whole  streete  shall  be  fined  for  the  non-detection  ! 

A  fine  of  twenty  guilders  is  imposed  on  all  Sabbath  breakers.  The 
knowledge  of  this  may  gratify  some  modern  associations. 

In  1676,  is  given  the  names  of  all  the  then  property  holders, 
amounting  to  only  three  hundred  names,  and  assessed  at  1^  dollar  a 
pound  on  99,695  pounds.  This  is  a  curious  article  in  itself,  if  con- 
sidered in  relation  to  family  names,  or  relative  wealth  ! — What  changes 
since  "  their  families  were  young !" — The  English  names  of  John  Ro- 
binson, John  Robson,  Edward  Griffith,  James  Loyde,  and  George 
Heathcott,  appear  pre-eminently  rich  among  their  cotemporaries ! 

In  1676,  it  is  ordered,  that  for  better  security  of  seasonable  supplies, 
ail  country  people  bringing  supplies  to  market,  shall  be  exempt  from 
any  arrest  for  debt.  The  market  house  and  plains  (the  present  "  bow- 
ling green")  afore  Q\e  fort,  shall  be  used  for  the  city  sales. 

It  is  ordered,  that  all  slaughter  houses  be  removed  thenceforth  with» 
out  the  city,  "  over  the  water,  without  the  gate,  at  the  Smith's  Fly,  neare 
the  Half-Moone."  Thus  denoting  "  the  water  gate,"  near  the  present 
Tontine  on  Wall  street,  beyond  which  was  an  invasion  of  water,  near 
the  former  "  Vly  Market"  on  Maiden  lane. 

Public  wells,  fire  ladders,  hooks  and  buckets  are  ordered,  and  their 
places  designated  for  the  use  of  the  city.  Thus  evincing  the  infant  crad- 
ling of  the  present  robust  and  vigorous  fire  companies ! — The  public 
wells  were  located  in  the  middle  of  such  streets  as  Broadway,  Pearl 
street,  &c.,  and  were  committed  to  the  surveilance  of  committees  of 
inhabitants  in  their  neighborhoods,  and  half  of  their  expense  assessed 
on  the  owners  of  property  nearest  them.  Will  the  discovery  of  their 
remains,  in  some  future  day,  excite  the  surprise  and  speculation  of 
uninformed  moderns  ? 

^  A  "  mill  house"  is  taxed  in  "  Mill  street  lane."  Thus  indicating 
the  fact  of  a  water  course  and  mill  seat  (probably  the  bark  mill  of  Ten 
Eycke)  at  the  head  of  what  is  now  called  "  Mill  street."  Thus  veri- 
fying  what  I  once  heard  from  the  Phillips  family,  that  in  early  times 
when  the  Jews  first  held  their  worship  there,  (their  synagogue  was 
built  there  a  century  ago)  they  had  a  living  spring  (two  houses  above 


V2 


Anclmt  Memoridls. 


their  present  lots)  in  which  they  were  accustomed  to  perform  their 
ablutions  and  cicansinga,  according  to  the  rites  of  their  religion. 

In  1676,  all  horses  at  range  are  ordered  to  be  branded  and  enroled  . 
and  two  stud  horses  are  "  to  be  kept  in  commons  upon  this  island." 

Tar  for  the  use  of  vessels,  is  to  be  boiled,  only  against  "  the  wall  of 
the  Half  Moon"— i.  c.  Battery. 

All  the  carmen  of  the  city,  to  the  number  of  twenty,  are  ordered  to 
he  enroled  and  to  draw  for  6d.  an  ordinary  load,  and  to  remove,  weekly 
from  the  city  the  dirt  of  the  streets,  at  3d.  a  load.  The  dustmen  show- 
ed much  spunk  upon  the  occasion,  and  combined  to  refuse  full  compli- 
ance. They  proposed  some  modifications ;  but  the  spirit  of  the  "  Scout, 
Burgomasters  and  Schepens,"  was  alive  and  vigorous  in  the  city  rulere, 
and  they  forthwith  dismayed  the  whole  body  of  carmen  by  divesting 
all  of  their  license,  who  sliould  not  forthwith  appear  as  usual  at  the 
public  dock,  pay  a  small  fine  and  make  their  submission  ! — only  two  so 
tsuccombed,  and  a  new  race  of  carmen  arose !  Those  carmen  were  to 
be  trusty  men :  worthy  to  be  charged  with  goods  of  value  from  the 
shipping,  &;c.,  wherefore,  all  Indian  and  Negro  slaves  were  excluded. 

An  act  is  passed  concerning  the  revels  of  "  Indian  and  Negro 
Slaves"  at  Inns.  At  the  mention  of  Indian  slaves,  the  generous  mind 
revolts — What !  the  virtual  masters  of  the  soil,  to  become  "  hewers  of 
wood  and  drawers  of  water"  to  their  cherished  guests !    Sad  lot ! — 

'*  Forc'd  from  the  land  tiiat  gave  them  birth. 
They  dwindle  from  the  face  of  earth!" 

In  1683,  twelve  pence  a  ton  is  assessed  on  every  vessel  for  their  use 

of  the  City  Dock, "  as  usually  given,"  and  for  "  the  use  of  the  Bridge ;" — 

understood  by  me  to  have  been  as  a  connecting  appendage  to  the  same 

dock. 

Luke  I^ncton,  in  16S3,  is  made  "  Collector  of  Customs"  at  the  Cus- 
tom House,  near  the  bridge  ;  ["  Stuyvesant  Huys"  at  the  N.  W.  corner 
of  present  Front  and  Moore  streets,  was  in  ancient  days  called  "  the 
Custom  House"]  and  none  shall  unload  "  but  at  the  bridge." 

The  Indians  are  allowed  to  sell  fire  wood,  (then  called  "  stick  wood,") 
and  to  vend  "  gutters  for  houses ;" — by  which  I  suppose  was  meant  long 
strips  of  bark,  so  curved  as  to  lead  off  water : — else,  it  meant  for  the  ^ 
roofs  of  sheds — even  as  we  now  see  dwelling  houses  roofed  along  the 
road  side  to  Niagara. 

An  act  of  reward  is  promulged  for  those  who  destroy  wolves.  Year 
1683. 

A  record  of  1683,  speaking  of  the  former  Dutch  dynasty,  says,  the 


Andent  MemoriaU. 


iVIayor's  Court  was  used  to  be  held  in  the  City  Hall,  where  they,  the 
Mayor  and  Aldermen  determined  *'  without  appeal."  It  alledgcs  also, 
that  "  they  had  their  own  Clerk,  and  kept  the  records  of  the  city  dis- 
tinctly." Thus  giving  us  the  desirable  fact,  that  "  records"  in  ampli- 
tude, have  once  existed  of  all  the  olden  days  of  Lang  Syne  !  They 
spell  the  name  of  the  island,  "  Mfmliatans." 

Then  none  might  exercise  a  trade  or  calling,  unless  as  an  admitted 
"  Freeman."  Then  they  might  say  with  the  Centurion,  "with  a  great 
price  bought  I  that  privilege  !"  If  a  freeman,  to  use  "  handy  craft," 
they  paid  £3  12s.  and  for  "  being  made  free,"  they  paid  severally  £l  43- 
None  could  then  trade  up  the  Hudson  River,  unless  a  freeman  who 
had  had  at  least  three  years  residence ;  and  if  any  one,  by  any  cause 
remained  abroad  beyond  twelve  months,  he  lost  his  franchise,  unless 
indeed  he  *'  kept  candle"  and  paid  "  Scott  and  Lott,"— terms  to  imply 
his  residence  was  occupied  by  some  of  his  family.  Have  we  mojderns 
bettered  the  cautious  policy  of  our  ancestors,  in  opening  our  arms  to 
every  *'  new  comer?"  We  taritf  goods,  but  put  no  restraint  on  men, 
even  if  competitors ! 

In  1683,  it  was  decreed  that  all  flour  should  be  bolted,  packed  and 
inspected  in  New  York  city.  This  was  necessary  then  for  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  port  in  its  foreign  shipments.  Besides,  the  practice  of 
bolting  as  now  done  at  mills  by  water  power,  was  unknown.  In  pri- 
mitive days  the  "Jft)lting  business"  was  a  great  concern  by  horse 
power,  both  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

The  Governor  and  his  council  grant  to  the  city,  the  dock  and  bridge, 
provided  it  be  well  kept  and  cleaned  ;  if  not,  it  shall  forfeit  it ; — but 
no  duty  shall  be  paid  upon  the  bridge  as  "  bridge  money." 

In  1683,  the  city  bounds  and  wards  are  prescribed  along  certain 
named  streets.  The  third  or  east  ward  was  bounded  "  along  the  wall" 
and  "  againe  with  all  the  houses  in  the  Smith  fly  and  without  the  gate 
on  the  south  side  of  the  fresh  water."  Meaning  in  the  above,  "  the 
wall"  of  palisades  along  Wall  street ;  and  by  the  "  fresh  water,"  the 
Kolck,  or  Collect  Fresh  Water. 

In  1683,  a  committee  which  had  been  appointed  to  collect  nncicnt 
records  respecting  the  city  privileges  of  former  times,  make  their  re- 
port thereon,  and  therein  name  the  "  City  Hall  and  Y'ards,"  "  Market 
liousc,"  and  "  Ferry  house."  It  says,  Wm.  Merritt  had  offered  "  for 
the  ferry  to  Long  Island"  the  sum  of  £20  per  annum  for  20  years,  to 
erect  sheds,  to  keep  two  boats  for  cattle  and  Iwrses,  and  aI§o  two  boats 


14 


Ancient  jSIemoriah. 


for  passcnofcrs.  The  ferriage  for  the  former  to  be  6d.  a  head,  and  for 
the  latter  Id.  Think  of  this  ye  present  four  cent.  labor  saving'''' 
steam  boats  ! — Ye  shmi  tlie  Dutchman's  penny  toil,  but  raise  the  price? 

A  committee,  in  16S3,  report  the  use  of  6000  stockadoes  of  12  feet 
long,  at  a  cost  of  £24,  used  for  the  repair  of  the  wharf — i.  c.  at  tho 
dock. 

They  ascertain  the  vessels  and  boats  of  the  port,  enroled  by  their 
names,  to  be  as  follows  : — 3  barques,  3  brigantines,  26  sloops,  and  46 
open  boats.    Some  of  their  names  are  rare  enough. 

An  ordinance  of  16S3,  orders,  that  *'no  youthes,  maydes,  or  other 
persons,  may  meete  together  on  the  Lord's  Day  for  sporte  or  play,"  un- 
der a  fine  of  Is.  No  public  houses  may  keep  open  door  or  give  en- 
tertainment then,  except  to  strangers,  under  a  fine  of  10s.  Not  more 
than  four  Indian  or  Negro  slaves  may  assemble  together ;  and  at  no 
time  may  they  be  allowed  to  bear  any  fire  arms, — this  under  a  fine  of 
6s.  to  their  owners. 

A  city  Surveyor  "  shall  regulate  the  manner  of  each  building  on 
each  street,  (even  crooked  and  "  up  and  down"  as  it  then  was  !)  so  that 
vniformity  (mark  this !)  may  be  preserved."  Are  we  then  to  presume 
they  had  no  scheme  or  system.,  who  now  complain  of  "  winding  nar- 
row streets !"  &;c. 

In  16S3,  markets  were  appointed  to  be  held  three  times  a  week,  and 
to  be  opened  and  shut  by  ringing  the  bells.  Cd^  wood,  under  the 
name  of  "Stick  wood,"  is  regulated  at  the  length  of  four  feet. 

A  Haven  master  is  appointed  to  regulate  the  vessels  in  the  mole, 
(the  same  before  called  the  Dock)  and  is  to  collect  the  dock  and 
bridge  money. 

A  part  of  the  slaughter  house,  (before  appointed)  by  the  Fly,  is  ap- 
pointed in  1633,  to  be  a  powder  house,  and  its  owner,  Garrett  John- 
son is  made  the  first  keeper,  at  Is.  6d.  a  brl. — Of  course  then  locating 
it  at  the  Vly,  as  far  enough  beyond  the  verge  of  population,  to  allow  of 
^  a  blow  up  !" 

In  1683,  several  streets  therein  named  are  ordered  to  be  paved  by 
1he  owners  concerned,  and  directs  they  shall  pluck  up  and  barricade 
before  their  doors  where  needful  to  keep  up  the  earth. 

In  1684,  the  city  requests  from  the  King's  government,  the  cession 
of  all  vacant  land,  the  Ferry,  City  Hall,  Dock  and  Bridge. 

An  order  of  King  James,  is  recognized  and  recorded  in  1685,  pro- 
iiibiting  all  trade  from  New  York  colony  "with  the  East  Indies,"  that 
being  even  then  a  claimed  "  privilege  of  the  company  of  merchants 


Ancient  Memorials, 


15 


of  London."  This  proscribed  East  India  commerce  had  more  import 
than  meets  the  eye,  for  it  virtually  meant  to  prohibit  trade  (unless  by 
special  grant)  with  the  West  Indies ! 

In  1685,  the  Jews  of  New  York,  petition  to  be  allowed  the  public, 
exercise  of  their  religion,  and  are  refused  on  the  ground  that  "  none 
are  allowed  by  act  of  assembly,  so  to  worship,  but  such  as  profess  a 
faith  in  Christ."  Experience  has  since  proved  that  we  are  no  where 
injured  by  a  more  liberal  and  free  toleration.  Laws  "  may  bind  the 
body  down,  but  can't  restrain  the  flights  the  spirit  takes !" 

In  1686,  a  committee  is  appointed  to  inspect  what  vacant  land  they 
find  belonging  to  Arien  Cornelissen ;  and  this  entry  is  rendered  curious 
by  a  recorded  grant  of  1687,  preserved  in  the  records  of  the  oflice  of 
G.  N.  Bleeker,  Esq.  the  City  Comptroler,  to  this  effect,  saying — Sixteen 
acres  of  the  Basse  Bowery  (by  which  I  understand,  low  or  meadow 
farm)  is  hereby  granted  unto  Arien  Cornelissen  for  the  consideration 
of  one  fat  capon  a  year !  Who  now  can  tell  the  value  of  that  land 
for  that  small  and  peculiar  compensation  ! 

In  1691,  it  is  ordered  that  there  shall  be  but  one  butcher's  shambles 
kept,  and  that  to  be  on  the  green,  before  the  fort.  The  next  year 
another  (place  for  shambles  I  presume)  is  allowed  under  the  trees,  by 
the  Slip.  At  same  time,  it  is  ordered  that  fish  (as  at  a  market)  be 
sold  at  the  Dock,  over  against  the  City  Hall.  Thus  referring  to  the 
Hall,  as  then  known  on  Pearl  street,  at  the  head  of  Coenties  Slip — 
under  which  was  also  a  prison. 

The  Clerk  of  the  Mayor's  Court,  in  1691,  is  charged  to  inquire 
after,  and  to  collect  and  preserve  the  books  and  papers  of  the  city, 
and  to  keep  them  safely  with  an  inventory  thereof.  May  not  this  re- 
cord present  an  index  hand  to  guide  to  some  discovery  of  such  histo- 
rical  rarities ! 

The  Mayor  rents  a  shop  or  shops  in  the  Market  house.  One  John 
Ellison  is  named  as  paying  £3  for  such  a  shop. 

In  1691,  it  is  ordered  that  the  inhabitants  by  the  water  side,  "  from 
the  City  Hall  to  the  Slip,"  are  to  help  build  the  wharf  to  run  out  be- 
fore their  lotts,  and  eyery  male  Negro  in  the  city,  is  to  help  thereat 
with  one  day's  work. 

The  hucksters  of  that  day,  even  as  now,  were  very  troublesome  in 
forestalling  the  market,  and  laws  were  made  to  restrain  them. 

The  bakers,  too,  had  their  ordeal  to  pass,  and  the  regulation  and 
limit  of  bread-loaves  is  often  under  the  notice  of  the  Council, 


16 


Ancient  3Icmorials. 


Such  are  the  amusing,  as  well  as  instructive  incidents  of  the  an- 
cient days  ifl  New  York,  from  which  "  the  thinking  bard"  may  "cull 
his  pictur'd  stores."    'J'hrough  such  mazes,  down  "  hoar  antiquity," 

"The  eye  explores  the  feats  of  elder  days !" 
It  may  well  encourage  to  further  research  to  know  the  fact,  that  I  con- 
sidered myself  as  gleaning  from  that  first  volume,  all  in  the  few  pre- 
ceding pages  which  I  deemed  the  proper  material  for  the  amusements 
of  history.  If  we  would  make  the  incidents  of  the  olden  time  fa- 
miliar and  popular,  by  seizing  on  the  affections  and  stirring  the  feel- 
ings of  modern  generations,  we  must  first  delight  them  with  the  co- 
mic of  history,  and  afterwards  win  them  to  graver  researches.  They 
who  cater  for  such  appetites,  should  always  consider  that  there  is  a 
natural  passion  for  the  marvellous  in  every  breast. — And  that  every 
writer  may  be  sure  of  his  reader,  who  limits  his  selections  to  facts, 
which  mark  the  extremes  of  our  relative  existence,  or  to  objects  '*  on 
which  imagination  can  delight  to  be  detained." 

But  there  are  means  of  inquiry  exclusive  of  memorials  and  records 
— such  as  the  recollections  and  observations  of  living  witnesses,  re- 
specting "  Men  and  Manners "  of  other  days,  and  of  things  gone 
down  to  oblivion.  These  they  retain  with  a  lively  impression,  be* 
cause  of  their  original  interest  to  themselves  ;  and  for  that  reason  they 
are  generally  of  such  cast  of  character  as  to  afford  the  most  gratify- 
ing contemplations  to  those  who  seek  them. 

From  a  lively  sense  of  this  fact,  I  have  been  most  sedulous  to  make 
my  researches  among  the  living  chronicles,  just  waning  to  their  final 
exit.  These  can  be  consulted  only  now,  or  never !  I  did  what  I  did 
hastily,  for  time  was  precious  to  me  also ;— but  the  following  facts  are 
evidences  that  congenial  minds  of  more  leisure,  could  yet  effect  much 
more  in  the  same  way,  if  ardently  set  upon  the  same  pursuit.  But, 
who  will  try  it  ? 

From  such  materials,  we  may  hope  to  make  provisions  fov  future 
works  of  poetry,  painting  and  romance.  It  is  the  raw  material  to  be 
elaborated  into  fancy  tales  and  fancy  characters,  by  the  Irvings  and 
Coopers  of  our  country.  By  such  means,  we  generate  the  ideal  pre- 
sence  and  raise  an  imagery  to  entertain  and  aid  the  mind.  Wc  raisfe 
stories,  wherein — 

•'Sweet  fiction  and  sweet  truth  alike  prevail,"' 


LOCAL  CHANGES  AND  LOCAL  FACTS. 

"  To  note  and  to  obBerve." 

Thomas  Storms,  Esq.,  aged  81,  told  mc  of  his  digging  out  the  trunk 
of  a  walnut  tree,  at  nine  feet  depth,  at  his  house  at  the  Coenties  Slip, 
near  Pearl  street. 

He  well  remembered  in  early  life,  to  have  seen  a  natural  spring  of 
fine  fresh  water  at  the  fort,  at  a  position  a  little  north-west  of  Hone's 
house.  There  was  also  a  fresh  water  well  once  at  N.  Prime's  house, 
near  the  Battery. 

He  saw  the  old  fort  cut  down  about  the  year  1788 — 9,  when  they 
found  beneath  the  vault  of  the  ancient  Dutch  church  once  there,  the 
leaden  coffins  of  Lord  Bellermont  and  lady.  Vansant  and  Janeway 
were  charged  to  remove  them  to  St.  Paul's  church. 

He  saw  a  linseed  oil  factory,  worked  with  wind  sails,  on  a  high  hill 
of  woods,  about  quarter  of  a  mile  north-east  of  the  Kolck.  This 
was  about  the  year  17^)0. 

About  same  time  he  sav/  a  beautiful  meadow  and  flourishing  grass 
cut  on  the  declining  hill,  back  of  the  City  Hall,  towards  the  Kolck. 

The  "  Tea  Water  Fountain,"  out  by  Stuyvesant  Field,  is  now  very 
good  and  was  in  great  repute  formerly.  The  region  of  country,  near 
the  prison,  on  East  River,  has  now  excellent  water.  There  "  Knapp" 
gets  his  "  spring  water"  for  the  city  supply. 

The  mother  of  Dr.  Hosack's  present  wife,  if  now  alive,  would  be 
about  eighty-six  years  of  age,  and  she  said  she  well  remembered  when 
the  locality  of  the  present  St.  Paul's  church,  was  a  wheat  field. 

She  also  spoke  of  her  remembrance  of  a  "  ferry  house"  in  Broad 
street,  up  above  "  Exchange  place,"  (then  Garden  alley)  to  which 
place  the  Indians  used  to  come  and  set  down  in  the  street,  near  there, 
and  make  and  sell  baskets. 


The  place  called  "  Canvas  Town,"  was  made  after  the  great  fire  in 
1776.  It  lay  towards  the  East  River,  and  from  Broad  street  to  White- 
hall street.  It  was  so  called  from  the  temporary  construction  of  the 
houses  and  their  being  generally  coverexl  with  canvass  instead  of  roofs. 
Very  lewd  and  dissolute  persons  generally  were  their  tenants,  and  gave 
them  their  notoriety  and  fame. 

While  the  old  fort  existed,  before  the  revolution,  it  contained  within 
C 


18 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


its  bounds  the  mansion  of  the  Governors  (military  chieftains)  and  their 
gardens.  There,  Governors  Dunmore,  Tryon,  &:c.  dwelt.  New  York- 
was  a  military  station,  and  as  such,  it  had  always  a  regiment  of  foot 
and  a  company  of  artillery — also  a  guard  ship  in  the  bay. 

Mr.  Abram  Brower,  aged  seventy-five,  informed  me  that  the  lots* 
fronting  the  Vly  Market,  were  originally  sold  out  by  the  city  corpora- 
tion, at  only  one  dollar  the  foot. 

He  said  the  market  in  Broadway,  [the  Oswego,  I  presume]  was  once 
leased  to  a  Mr.  Crosby,  for  only  2O3.  for  seven  years  I 

He  remembered  when  only  horse  boats  ferried  from  Brooklyn,  with 
only  two  men  to  row  it,  in  which  service  they  sometimes  drove  toward? 
Governors'  Island,  and  employed  a  whole  hour.  Only  one  ferry  was 
used  on  the  North  River  side,  and  then  not  to  go  across  to  Jersey  city 
as  now,  but  down  to  Blazing  Star.  Those  who  then  came  from  Bergenj 
&c.  used  the  country  boats. 

He  said  the  Dutch  yachts  (then  so  called)  were  from  one  to  two 
weeks  in  a  voyage  to  Hudson  and  Albany.  They  came  to,  usually 
every  night,  "  slow  and  sure."  Then  all  on  board  spoke  the  Dutch 
language.  [The  Mayor,  Thomas  Willet,  in  1665,  informs  the  corpo- 
ration "  he  intends  for  Albania  with  the  first  opportunity,  and  prays  its 
leave  of  absence."] 

The  last  Dutch  school  master  was  Vanbombeler,  he  kept  his  school 
till  after  the  revolution.  Mr.  Brower  himself  went  to  Dutch  school, 
to  his  grand-father,  Abram  Delanoye  (a  French  Hugonot,  via  Holland) 
who  kept  his  school  in  Courtlandt  street. 

The  first  Methodist  preaching  in  New  York,  was  at  a  house  in  Wil- 
liam street,  then  a  rigging  loft.  There  Embury  first  preached  ;  and 
being  a  carpenter,  he  made  his  own  pulpit, — a  true  puritan  charac- 
teristic ! 

Mr.  Brower,  when  a  boy,  never  heard  of  "  Greenwich ;"  the  name 
was  not  even  known ;  but  the  Dutch  when  they  spoke  of  the  place, 
called  it  Shawbackanicka — an  Indian  name  as  he  supposed.  *'  Green- 
wich street"  was  of  course  unknown. 

He  knew  of  no  daily  Gazettes  until  after  the  revolution.  Weyman 
and  Gains  had  each  a  weekly  one,  corresponding  to  their  limited 
wants  and  knowledge. 

He  saw  Andrews  hanging  in  gibbets,  for  piracy ; — he  was  hung  long* 
in  irons,  just  above  the  Washington  Market,  and  was  then  taken  to 
Gibbet  Island  and  suspended  there  ; — year  1769. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts* 


19 


I  notice  such  changes  as  the  following : — 

Maiden  lane  is  greatly  altered  for  the  better;  formerly,  that  street 
was  much  lower  near  its  junction  with  Pearl  street;  it  was  much  nar- 
rower and  had  no  seperate  foot  pavement;  its  gutter  ran  down  the 
middle  of  the  street. — Where  the  lofty  triangular  store  of  Watson  is 
seen  up  said  street,  was  a  low  sooty  blacksmith  shop,  Olstein's ;  (  a  ra- 
rity now  in  the  sight  of  passing  citizens)  and  near  it  a  cluster  of  low 
wooden  buildings. 

In  Pearl,  below  Maiden  lane,  I  have  seen  proof  positive  of  the  pri- 
mitive river  margin  there  ;  several  of  the  cellars  and  shallow  ones  too, 
had  water  in  them  from  that  original  cause. 

I  perceive  that  Duane  street,  from  Broadway,  is  greatly  filled  up ; 
from  one  and  a  half  to  two  stories  there,  is  made  ground  ; — the  south 
corner  of  Duane  street,  at  Broadway,  is  sixteen  feet  filled  up,  and  the 
same  I  am  told  in  Broadway.  South  of  this,  was  originally  a  hill  de- 
scending northward. 

Where  Leonard  street  traverses  the  Broadway  and  descends  a  hill  to 
the  Collect,  was  well  remembered  an  orchard^  but  a  few  years  ago. 
Some  of  the  Collect  was  still  open  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  ago  (it  is 
said)  and  was  skated  upon. 

The  original  Collect  main  spring  still  exists  on  Leonard  street, 
having  a  house  now  over  it,  lettered  "  Supply  Engine." 

The  Kolck  waters  still  ooze  through  the  new  made  filied-in  ground, 
into  the  cellars,  especially  in  wet  seasons. 

When  they  dug  out  some  of  the  Kolck  ground,  some  used  the  earth 
as  turf^  thinking  it  had  that  quality. 

The  Collect  street  runs  through  the  leading  line  or  centre  of  the 
old  Kolck  channel,  and  has  under  its  pavement  a  sewer  to  lead  off  the 
water.  This  street  is  the  thoroughfare  of  so  much  water,  as  to  make 
It  necessary  to  incline  this  street  deeply  to  the  middle  as  a  deep  gutter- 
way.  Indeed  so  much  water,  "  deep  and  broad,"  flows  along  it  like  a, 
sullied  brook,  that  it  might  be  well  called  Brook  street ;  helped  as  the 
idea  is,  by  the  numerous  foot-planks,  as  miniature  bridges,  laid  across 
it  at  intervals  for  the  convenience  of  foot  passengers. 

About  the  year  1784-5,  property  near  New  York,  went  down  greatly; 
few  or  none  had  money  to  buy  with.  About  the  year  1785-6,  Alder- 
man William  Bayard  wished  to  raise  cash  by  selling  his  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres,  on  the  western  side  of  Broadway,  and  near  the 
city.   He  devised  the  scheme  of  offering  them  in  lots  of  twenty-five 


20 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


by  one  hundred  feet — only  twenty-five  dollars  was  bid,  and  but  lew  ot 
them  were  sold.  It  was  well  for  him  ;  for  very  soon  after,  feelings  and 
opinions  changed,  and  they  who  had  bought  for  twenty-five  dollars, 
sold  out  for  one  hundred  dollars;  and  then,  the  impulse  being  given, 
(he  proffressive  rise  has  had  no  end  ! 

A  kinsman,  G.  T.  tells  me  that  the  out  lots  of  the  city,  "  went  up" 
*bout  twenty-one  years  ago,  greatly,  and  staid  up  long,  till  about  four 
years  ago,  (from  the  circumstances  of  trade,  &c.)  they  began  to  fall 
much,  and  soon  after,  to  rise  again  more  than  ever.  He  bought  lots 
four  years  ago  at  the  rate  of  $850,  which  would  now  bring  him  $1800. 
Twenty-one  years  ago  he  bouglrt  lots  for  $2000  reluctantly,  which  he 
m  six  months  after  sold  for  $4000.  Tliat  purchaser  kept  it  till  four 
years  ago  at  its  minimum  price,  and  sold  it  for  $2000  !  Some  of  his 
property,  which  five  years  ago  he  would  have  freely  sold  for  $2000, 
would  now  be  valued  at  $12,000.*  This  is  however  a  rare  circum- 
•tance,  having  had  the  accident  of  attaining  to  much  front  along  the 
newly  extended  Broadway. 

The  Stuyvesants,  Rutgers,  Delancys,  and  others,  have  attained  to 
great  riches,  by  the  rapid  and  unexpected  growth  of  New  York  ; — vo- 
raciously calling  on  such  "  out-town"  landlords,  for  their  farms  at  any 
price  !  Old  Mr.  Janeway  who  died  lately,  at  four  score,  saw  his  few 
acres,  near  the  Chatham  street  and  Collect,  grow  in  his  long  life  and 
possession,  from  almost  nothing  to  a  great  estate.  "While  they  slum- 
bered and  slept,"  their  fortunes  advanced  without  their  effort  or  skill. 
Much  the  fact  impresses  the  recollection  of  "  Ecclesiasticus,"  he  saith, 
"  There  is  one  that  laboreth  a.nd  taketh  pains  and  maketh  haste,  and 
is  so  much  the  more  behind,  (as  many  poor  bankrupts  know)  and  there 
is  another  that  is  slow  and  hath  need  of  help,  wanting  ability,  yet  he 
is  set  up  from  his  low  estate  !" 

The  head  of  Chatham  street,  where  it  joins  the  Bowery  road, 
although  now  a  hill,  has  been  cut  down  in  modern  times  full  twelve 
feet.  From  this  point,  following  the  line  of  Division  street  and  thence 
down  to  the  river,  on  the  line  of  Catharine  street,  was  formerly  Col. 
Rutger's  farm ; — it  was  opened  as  city  lots  about  thirty-five  to  thirty- 
eight  years  ago,  as  told  to  me,  by  G.  Taylor. 

I  found  the  once  celebrated  "  Tea  Water  Pump,"  long  covered  up 
and  disused — again  in  use,  but  unknown ; — in  the  liquor  store  of  a 
Mr.  Fagan,  126  Chatham  street,  I  drank  of  it  to  revive  recollections. 

*  Since  writing,  the  estate  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Maiden  lane,  sold  at 
auction  for  $27,600,  which  is  equaj  to  twenty-two  dollars  the  square  ft>ot  I 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Pacts, 

I  have  been  surprised  to  find,  in  so  magnificent  a  city,  such  a  mean 
collection  of  hovels,  of  feeble  wooden  fabric  as  I  see  in  the  rear  of  the 
jrreat  City  Hall  and  the  stately  liousos  along  Chamber  street ;  they 
lay  on  the  line  of  Cross  street,  descending  a  prcseirt  hill,  formerly 
much  higher  and  more  rugged,  having  only  foot  paths  for  clambering 
boys.  The  mean  houses  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  or  street,  are  now  half 
burried  in  earth,  by  the  raising  of  the  street,  fully  ten  feet ;  up  to  thih- 
neighborhood,  came  once  the  little  Collect ;  it  forms  the  site  gene- 
rally of  what  was  formerly  Janeway's  little  farm. 

The  Magazine  street,  here,  (because  of  the  powder  house  once  close 
by)  now  named  Pearl  street,  in  continuation,  as  it  runs  towards  the 
Hospital  on  Broadway,  shows  I  think,  strong  marks  of  having  bee* 
at  the  period  of  the  revolution,  the  utmost  verge  of  city  hopes !  The 
range  of  Beekman  street  and  Vesey  street  had  once  bounded  their  ex- 
pectations, and  lastly  they  extended  to  the  natural  lines  of  Pearl  street, 
as  it  crosses  the  city,  and  was  there  formed  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  on 
its  southern  side.  Before  the  Magazine  street  was  formed,  it  was  so 
essentially  the  imaginary  line,  which  bounded  the  Police  of  Justice. 
<Sz;c.  that  it  was  usual  to  designate  the  limits  by  the  vague  name  ol 

the  Fresh  Water"  side  of  the  city.  Thus  referring  to  the  great 
Kolck  and  its  course  of  marshes,  as  scperating  all  beyond  in  a  terra 
incognitcB  ! 

The  houses  No.  13  and  15,  on  Elm  street,  near  the  corner  of  Duane 
street,  are  singular  evidences  of  modern  innovation.  They  were  ori- 
ginally good  two  story  houses,  and  are  nov/  filled  up  in  Elm  street, 
nearly  to  their  roofs  ! 

In  the  rear  of  No.  48  Frankford  street,  is  now  a  very  ancient  tan- 
yard.  This  street,  down  to  Ferry  street,  and  from  William  street 
over  to  Jacob's  street,  is  the  region  of  what  was  formerly  tan  yards, 
and  originally  Beekman's  swamp.  An  old  man  near  here,  said,  he 
remembered  to  have  shot  ducks  here  formerly; — the  father  of  another, 
liad  told  him,  he  often  gathered  huckleberries  about  here ;  and  fifty  to 
sixty  years  ago,  it  was  common  to  exercise  here  in  skating. 

Mr.  Lydigg  told  me,  that  when  the  tanneries  about  here  accumu- 
lated great  hills  of  tan,  it  was  the  material  for  the  fortifications  of  the 
boys,  (preparing  for  the  revolution,  by  sham  fights  !)  Here  great  tan  re- 
doubts, piked  with  cow  horns,  were  defended  bravely  by  the  Pearl 
street  and  Fly  boys,  against  the  invading  urchins  from  Broadway. 
Sometimes  the  open  field  was  resorted  to  on  the  present  Park,  where 
nii?silc«  of  thwacking  force  were  dealt  with  vigorous  ami. 


22 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts* 


JNIr.  Jacob  Tabclc,  aged  eighty-seven,  said  that  in  hia  early  days  he 
heard  much  r^pcakiiig  of  Dutch  among  the  people  and  along  the  streets. 
He  saw  no  lamps  in  the  streets,  when  a  boy. 

Tlic  j)owder  house  he  remembered. — A  powder  house,  called  the 
Magazine,  on  a  rising  ground,  (a  kind  of  island)  at  the  Collect. 

In  Nicholas  Bayard's  woods,  he  often  shot  numerous  pigeons. 

He  remembered  they  used  to  burn  lime  from  oyster  shells,  on  the 
Park  commons.  This  agrees  with  Avhat  Mr.  Brower  said,  who  im- 
puted tlie  name  of  collect  to  the  low  Dutch,  for  burnt  lime — but  it  is 
more  probable  kolck  was  the  true  name,  from  its  meaning  "  fresh  wa- 
ter" there. 

He  remembered  ship  yards,  between  Beekman's  and  Burling's 
Slip. 

There  were  once  some  small  houses  of  wood,  where  is  now  St. 
Paul's  church. 

He  has  seen  l  iver  water  flow  through  the  sewer  up  the  Maiden  lane 
as  high  as  Olstein's  blacksmith  shop  on  the  triangular  square. 

There  was  a  very  high  hill,  once  called  "  Bayard's  Mount,"  on 
which,  the  Americans  built  a  fort,  and  called  it  Bunker  Hill,  in  the 
time  of  the  revolution, — now  all  cut  down.  It  stood  on  present  Grand 
street,  a  little  east  of  Centre  market. 

He  remembered  the  "  ferry  house,"  so  called,  high  up  Broad  street 
— had  heard  the  creek  once  run  up  there.  The  sign  was  a  boat  with 
iron  oars.    It  was  an  Iim  with  such  a  sign  in  his  time. 

He  remembered  seeing  the  block  houses  in  a  line  of  palisades, 
quite  across  the  island — they  went  in  a  line  from  the  back  of  Cham- 
bers street.  They  were  of  logs  of  about  one  story  high.  They  being 
empty,  were  often  used  by  Indians  who  made  and  sold  baskets,  &c. 
there.    So  said  Ebbets,  also. 

lie  remembered  when  boats  could  freely  pass  along  the  space,  now 
occupied  by  large  trees  on  the  Battery  ground. 

He  vvell  remembered  the  ancient  City  Hall,  (Stadt  Huys)  at  the 
]iead  of  Coenties  Slip  ;* — said  he  often  heard  it  had  been  used  as  a 
fort  in  Leister's  civil  war,  against  the  real  fort  at  the  Battery.  He 
had  often  seen  a  ball,  shot  at  it,  and  which  was  left  in  the  side  wall  of 
the  house,  (pulled  down  by  Tunis  Quick,  in  1327)  on  the  south-west 

*  In  all  this,  he  referred  to  the  house  built  in  1701,  on  the  site  of  the  original 
City  Hall.  The  people  confounding  as  one  the  original  and  the  successor.  The 
btlcr  only  lately  tak«n  down. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


^8 


corner  of  Pearl  and  Coenties  Slip.  That  ball  is  now  in  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Mitchell,  as  a  relic. 

There  were  market  houses  at  every  one  of  the  slips,  in  his  time ; — 
the  one  at  the  foot  of  Wall  street,  nigh  the  Tontine,  was  called  the 
Meal  Market. 

Said  he  often  heard  of  Lindley  Murray,  (the  grammarian)  having 
leaped  across  Burling's  Slip,  (about  twenty-one  feet)  with  a  pair  of 
fowls  in  his  hands,  as  he  came  from  market.  He  believed  it,  and 
others  spoke  of  it  to  me  as  true,  and  that  his  lameness  afterwards  was 
imputed  to  his  efforts. 

He,  Mr.  Tabele,  said  there  were  but  few  streets  paved.  Broadway 
and  other  streets  had  all  their  gutter  ways  in  the  middle. 

He  remembered  the  Oswego  Market  in  Broadway,  opposite  to  Li- 
berty street.  When  demolished,  another  was  placed  at  west  end  of 
Maiden  lane. 

The  Bear  Market  was  the  only  one  on  the  North  River  side.  It 
took  its  name  from  the  fact  of  the  first  meat  ever  sold  in  it,  having 
been  bear  meat,  killed  as  the  bear  was  swimming  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Bergen  shore. 

William  street,  from  John  street,  northwards,  used  to  be  called 
Horse  and  Cart  street,  from  an  Inn  near  there  having  such  a  sign. 

Mr.  Thoburn,  the  seedman,  told  me  that  when  they  were  digging 
in  Broadway  to  lay  the  Manhattan  pipes,  they  came  to  the  posts  of  the 
City  Gate  once  at  Wall  street. 

He  also  read  to  me,  from  his  deed  of  the  Quaker  meeting  house, 
which  he  owns  and  uses  as  his  rare  seed  store,  as  being  located  "  out- 
side of  the  north  side  of  the  wall  of  the  city Thus  referring  to  th« 
wall  once  along  "  Wall  street." 

He  also  showed  me  a  rarity,  in  the  Jirst  Directory  ever  made  for 
New  York — say  in  the  year  1786.  The  very  names  of  that  day,  are 
curious  ; — so  few  then,  who  were  foreigners.  Such  was  the  novelty 
or  uselessness  of  a  Directory  then,  when  every  man  knew  his  neigh- 
bor, that  no  other  was  attempted  till  the  year  1793 ; — that  one  Mr. 
Thoburn  also  possesses. 

Mr.  Thoburn's  seed  house  is  a  curiosity  itself — a  rare  conception 
on  his  part;  and  presenting  to  the  eye  of  a  walking  passenger  along 
the  streets,  a  little  rus  in  nrbe. 

An  ancient  house  at  the  corner  of  Beaver  lane  and  Broadway,  of 


24 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


original  two  stories  high,  has  all  its  cellar  wall  exposed  ovt  of  ground- 
ihus  showing  the  cutting  down  of  Broadway  six  to  eight  feet  at  least, 
if  we  keep  the  idea  of  that  elevation,  wc  may  form  probably  a  just 
idea  of  the  primitive  elevation  of  the  ground  whereon  the  fort  vStood ; 
aged  men  have  told  me  they  thought  the  highest  elevation  of  the  pa- 
rapet walls  was  about  equal  to  the  walls  of  present  houses  near  there. 

Mr.  Daniel  J.  Ebbets,  aged  seventy-six,  who  has  been  a  very  obser- 
vant youth  and  is  now  an  intelligent  gentleman  of  lively  mind,  has 
helped  me  to  many  facts. 

He  says,  the  present  Bowling  Green  was  once  an  oblong  square  and 
was  well  surrounded  with  large  locust  trees. 

As  late  as  the  year  1787,  he  had  assisted  to  draw  a  seine  on  the 
beach,  where  runs  the  present  Greenwich  street — say  from  Beaver 
lane  to  Battery  ;— there  they  caught  many  fish  and  much  of  herring  • 
-"the  beach  was  beautiful ;— there  boys  and  horses  were  wont  to  bathe 
and  sport  in  the  Avave.  A  street  to  be  there,  never  entered  the  head 
of  the  sportive  youth!  A  large  rock  (see  it  on  Lyne's  map)  stood  out 
in  the  middle  of  present  Greenwich  street,  then  in  the  water,  on 
which  was  a  kind  of  rude  summer  house,  much  to  the  mind  and  fancy 
of  the  boys.    "  Oh !  rare  days  of  sportive  fun  !" 

Then  Mr.  Ebbets  saw  no  commerce  nor  vessels  along  the  North 
River  side  ;— the  Albany  sloops  all  went  round  to  East  River,  and  all 
their  sailors  talked  Dutch  at  the  wharves ;— the  carmen  too,  generally 
talked  Dutch,  and  all  understood  it  enough  for  their  business. 

He  was  familiar  with  the  plot  of  the  old  fort,  and  described  it  thus  : 
first  the  green  bank,  which  was  sloping,  was  about  fourteen  feet  high, 
on  which  was  erected  a  wall  of  about  twenty  feet  additional  height. 
An  old  linden  and  two  apple  trees  on  the  city  side,  were  as  high  as  tht-. 
walls.    Some  barracks  lay  along  the  line  of  State  street. 

The  Broadway,  in  1772,  extended  only  as  high  as  the  Hospital.— 
Where  the  Hospital  is,  was  "  Rutger's  orchard." 

There  was  a  rope  walk,  (Vanpeltz's)  a  little  north  of  Courtlandt 
street,  running  from  Broadway  to  the  North  River.  All  the  old  deedi> 
on  north  side  of  Courtlandt  street,  speak  of  fifteen  feet  of  the  said 
walk,  as  in  their  lots.  Another,  ran  parallel  to  it  from  vis  a  vis  the 
present  Bridewell  prison ;  and  in  its  place,  or  near  it,  was  formerly  a 
range  of  British  barracks; — [as  I  think  since,  in  the  line  of  the  pre- 
sent Scudder's  Museum.] 

The  "brick  meeting,"  built  in  1764,  on  Bcekman  street,  near. 


Local  CJianges  and  Loeal  Facts^ 


Chatham  strcc't,  was  then  said  to  be  in  popular  parlance,  in  "  thfe 
fields."    There,  Whitefield  was  heard  to  preach. 

Back  of  the  above  mentioned  barracks,  and  also  behind  the  present 
fail,  was  a  high  hill,  and  on  its  descent  a  Negro  burying  ground,  and 
t-hence  further  down,  it  was  a  fine  meadow. 

The  British  army  gave  tlie  name  of  "  tlie  Mall,"  to  their  parade 
ground  fronting  the  Trinity  church. 

There  were  very  fine  Sun  fish  and  Roach  fish,  caught  in  the  Collect 
Tond. 

The  City  Hall  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,  (afterwards  the  Congress 
Hall)  besides  holding  the  courts,  was  also  a  prison.  In  front  of  it  on 
the  head  of  Broad  street,  he  remembered  seeing  there  a  whipping 
post,  and  pillory,  and  stocks.  He  has  seen  them  lead  the  culprits 
round  the  town,  whipping  them  at  the  cart  tail.  They  also  introduced 
the  wooden  horse  as  a  punishment.  The  horse  was  put  into  the  cart- 
body  and  the  criminal  set  thereon.  Mary  Price  having  been  the  firsf! 
v/ho  had  the  infamous  distinction,  caused  the  horse  ever  after  to  be 
called,  "  the  horse  of  Mary  Price  I" 

So  recently  has  a  part  of  Water  street  been  fiiled  up,  that  he  could 
now  lead  to  the  spot  there,  where  could  be  found  the  body  of  a  vessel 
deep  under  present  ground. 

He  verified  the  fact  in  Moulton's  book,  of  a  canal  (or  channel)  of 
water  running  out  of  the  present  Beaver  street,  into  tlie  Broad  street 
canal,  in  primitive  times.  He  said  that  half  way  between  Broad 
street  and  New  street,  in  Beaver  street,  there  had  been  dug  up  two 
bars  of  lead,  evidently  dropped  over-board  from  some  boat.  At  same 
place,  was  a  cedar  poj?t,  upright,  having  on  it  the  lines  of  the  ropes 
of  boats  once  tied  to  it. 


The  Mineral  Spring,  No.  8  Jacob's  street,  quaintly  enough  called 
Jacob's  Well,"  is  a  real  curiosity,  whether  regarded  either  as  an  il- 
lusion, or  as  a  reality.  The  enterprise  was  bold  to  bore  there  one 
hundred  and  thirty  feet,  and  the  result  is  said  to  be  that  they  found  a 
spring,  having  the  properties  of  the  Saratoga  and  Congress  waters. 
Some  distrust  it,  but  the  proprietors  say,  twenty-five  thousand  pcrsoir* 
used  it  last  year.    It  is  a  part  of  Beekman's  swamp. 

The  house  in  Peck's  Slip,  north  side,  a  yellow  frame,  No.  7,  was 
nointcd  out  to  me  by  an  aged  person,  as  being  in  his  youth,  the  nearer 
D  ' 


26 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


house  to  ilic  river — which  was  tlien  so  near,  he  could  jump  into  the 
river  then  ranging  along  Water  street,  near  to  it.  He  said  also,  that 
Walton  house,"  close  by  on  Pearl  street,  No.  324,  had  its  garden  in  its 
rear,  quite  down  to  the  river.  lie  said,  the  hill  called  Peck's  HilK 
from  Walton  house  to  the  Franklin  Bank,  (at  the  union  of  Cherry  and 
Pearl  streets)  was  originally  a  much  higher  hill. 

I  went  out  to  the  Dry  Dock  and  Steam  Mill,  for  sawing,  &c.  on 
the  river  margin  of  "  Stuyvesant's  Swamp,"  or  flats.  It  is  a  very 
wide  extended  wet  flat,  over  which,  tides  used  to  overflow — no\v 
sluiced  out.  Some  low  grass  mcadow\s  appear;  but  generally  it  is  ;> 
w^aste,  coming  now  into  incalculable  value  to  that  family  as  building 
lots.  The  adjacent  hills  furnish  abundance  of  coarse  sand  and  gravel 
material  for  filling  up,  which  is  now  busily  pursued  in  the  lines  of  the 
intended  streets.  Some  of  the  ancient  oaks  are  scattered  around  and 
many  stumps  showing  the  recent  woods  about  here,  wherever  nor 
submerged  in  water.  At  the  point  or  hook,  a  little  beyond  the  Dry 
Dock,  I  see  a  small  mount  on  which  in  the  revolution,  was  a  small 
redoubt,  near  which  lay  the  King  Fisher  sloop  of  war. 

I  observe  great  digging  down  of  hills  and  removals  of  earth,  going 
on,  all  about  the  Stuyvesant  Mansion  house  and  farm.    Mr.  Nicholait; 

S  tells  me  they  often  came  to  Indian  graves,  known  as  such,  by 

having  oyster  .-hells  interred  w  ith  the  bones  and  sometimes  some  frag- 
ments of  frail  pottery. 

Just  beyond  "Peter's  Field"  and  mansion,  extending  up  to  the 
Fever  Hospital,  at  Bellevue,  is  a  great  bend  or  bay,  which  is  now  all 
fdiing  up  with  innumerable  loads  of  earth  from  the  adjacent  high 
grounds,  the  whole  having  a  long  wharf  in  front,  calculated  to  extend 
down  to  the  Dry  Dock,  all  of  which  is  to  be  laid  out  in  streets  and 
city  lots.  It  is  an  immense  and  spirited  undertaking,  affording  con> 
stant  business  for  the  laboring  poor. 

Canal  street  is  a  grand  undertaking,  effecting  a  great  benefit,  by 
draining  through  a  great  sewer  the  waters  which  once  passed  by  the 
former  canal  to  the  collect.  The  street  is  broad  and  the  houses  gen< 
I  eel ;  but  as  this  region  of  ground  was  once  swampy,  it  is  liable  now^ 
to  have  wet  or  damp  cellars  throughout  the  range  of  Lispenard's  Swamp 
to  the  northward,  and  from  Lafayette  Theatre,  (which  is  laid  on  piles) 
down  to  the  North  River.  Chapel  street  which  runs  southward  from 
Canal  street,  follows  the  line  of  a  former  water  course  (connecting 
with  the  canal  formerly  and  now  by  a  sewer)  quite  down  to  Leonard 
street,  has  been  all  made  ground,  filled-in  over  the  sewer. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts, 


2.1 


From  tlie  inlets  to  those  sewers  is  emitted  a  strorig  offensive  smell 
of  filth  and  salt  water,  only  however  perceptible  at  the  apertures  and 
never  known  to  have  any  deleterious  effect  on  health. 

Mr.  Wilke,  President  of  the  Bank,  told  me  he  once  stood  centinel 
Jis  a  volunteer  on  the  sand  beacii,  close  to  the  present  old  sugar  house 
ytill  standing  nearly  in  the  rear  of  the  present  City  Hotel,  on  Broad* 
way.  Thus  proving,  what  I  had  before  heard  from  Mr.  Swords  and 
others,  that  at  the  rear  of  Trinity  church  yard,  a  little  beyond  where 
Lumber  street  is  now,  the  boys  used  to  swim. 

Mr.  Wilke  also  told  me  he  knew  the  parties  who  in  1780,  fought  a 
duel  in  the  rear  of  the  hospital  ground. 

In  visiting  Thomas  Rammey,  a  good  chronicle,  though  only  sixty* 
six  years  of  age,  I  learned  from  himself  and  wife,  several  facts,  to  wit : 

Rammey  had  lived  in  Cross  street — while  there,  he  dug  up  remains 
of  the  old  Magazine,  and  he  could  sec  evidence  that  water  sometimes 
had  enclosed  it,  [as  Lyne's  ancient  map  had  shown.]  His  mother-in- 
law,  if  alive,  would  be  one  hundred  and  six  years  of  age.  She  often 
talked  of  the  block  houses  and  palisades  across  the  city,  behind  pre- 
sent City  Hall ; — said,  the  Indians  occupied  many  places  outside  of 
their  line,  and  used  there  to  make  baskets,  ladles,  &;c.  for  sale.  Many 
of  them  hutted  outside  the  present  Hospital,  towards  the  North  River. 

She  \vell  remembered  they  were  used  at  times  in  higli  waters,  to 
have  a  ferry  boat  to  cross  the  people  in  Chatham  street,  over  where  it 
crosses  Pearl  street — where  it  is  still  low  ground.  Lyne's  map  of 
1729,  marks  this  same  place  with  a  bridge. 

She  had  a  recollection  of  the  wife  of  Gov.  Stuyvcsant,  and  used  to 
^o  out  to  his  farm  near  the  flats,  and  there  see  numerous  fish  caught. 

She  remembered  and  spoke  much  of  the  Negro  Plot — said  it  made 
terrible  agitation — saw  the  Negroes  hung  back  of  the  site  of  the  pre- 
sent jail,  in  the  Park.    A  wind  mill  once  stood  near  there. 

The  Jews'  burying-ground  was  up  Chatham  street,  on  a  hill,  where 
is  now  the  Tradesman's  Bank. 

She  said,  the  water  once  run  from  the  collect,  both  ways — i.  e. 
to  East  River  as  well  as  to  North  River.  Sometimes  the  salt  watei 
came  up  to  it  from  the  North  River  in  the  winters  and  raised  the  ice. 

In  her  time,  the  strand  or  beach  on  the  East  River,  was  along  pre- 
sent Pearl  street,  generally  ;  and  at  the  corner  of  Pearl  street  and 
Maiden  lane,  there  dwelt  her  brother-in-lav/,  who  used  to  keep  hi? 
b«at  tied  to  his  stoop  to  ferry  him  off  by  water. 


28 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


She  said,  Maiilcn  lane  got  its  name  from  the  practice  of  women,  tii'c 
younger  part,  generally  going  out  there  to  bleach  their  family  linen : 
all  of  which  was  then  made  at  home.  It  had  a  fine  creek  or  brook, 
and  was  headed  by  a  good  spring.  Sometime  afterwards,  minor 
springs  remained  for  a  time  in  cellars  there,  and  one  was  in  Cuyler's 
house,  till  modern  times.  The  hills  adjacent,  clothed  in  fine  grass 
sloped  gradually  to  the  line  of  Maiden  lane,  and  there  she  bleached 
with  many  others. 

She  said,  Broadway  went  no  higher  than  St.  Paul's  church. 

She  said,  "  Chapel  Hill,"  where  is  now  Dr.  Milnor's  church,  on 
Beekman  street,  was  a  very  high  mount  and  steep,  from  which  the  boys 
with  sleds,  used  to  slide  down  on  the  snow,  quite  to  the  swamp  below. 
With  this,  agrees  the  fact  told  me  by  Mr.  James  Bogert,  that  his  father 
in  latter  times,  used  to  ride  up  to  it  as  a  high  apple  orchard. 

Mr.  Rammey  said,  that  behind  the  City  Hall,  once  stood  an  old 
Alms  house,  built  in  1710,  and  taken  down  about  the  year  1793;  — 
perhaps  the  burials  behind  it  gave  rise  to  the  remark  made  to  me  by 
Dr.  Francis,  that  along  the  line  of  Chamber  street,  are  many  graves. 

He  says  he  used  to  be  told  that  the  real  "  ferry  house"  on  Broad 
street,  was  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Garden  street,  (now  Exchange 
place)  and  is  lately  taken  down ;  [and  so  several  others  have  also  sug- 
gested to  me]  and  that  the  other,  (No.  19)  a  little  higher  up,  (the 
north  end  of  the  Custom  house  store)  was  only  a  second  Inn,  having  a 
ferry  boat  sign,  either  in  opposition  or  to  perpetuate  the  other.  He 
said,  the  boats  were  flat  bottomed  and  used  to  come  from  Jersey.  To 
Tne,  I  confess  it  seems  to  have  been  a  singular  location  for  a  ferry  ;  but 
as  the  tradition  is  so  general  and  concurrent,  I  incline  to  think  it  was 
b'o  called  from  its  being  a  resort  of  country  boats  coming  there  to  find 
a  central  place  for  their  sales,  I  have  heard  the  names  of  certain 
present  rich  families,  whese  ancestors  were  said  to  come  there  with 
oysters. 

A  man  actually  born  in  the  old  ferry  house,  at  the  corner,  and  who 
dwelt  there  forty  years,  thus  described  it  as  a  very  low  one  story  house, 
with  very  high  and  steep  pediment  roof; — its  front  on  Broad  street ; — 
its  side  along  Garden  alley,  had  two  dormer  windows  in  the  roof,  much 
above  the  plate  ; — shingle  roof  covered  with  moss  :  one  hundred  years 
probably  of  age  ; — had  an  iron  boat  and  oars  and  anchor  for  a  sign  ; — 
the  "  Governor's  house"  adjoined  it  in  the  alley.  An  old  lady  close  by 
eonfirmed  all  this.    A  picture  of  the  whole  scene  is  annexed. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Fads. 


Mr.  David  Grim,  an  aged  citizen  to  wliom  we  are  indebted  for  muelt  ; 
valuable  data,  given  to  the  historical  society,  has  estimated  in  detail 
the  houses  of  the  city  in  1744,  to  have  been  1141  in  number — of 
which  only  129  houses  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  Broadway,  to  the 
North  River  inclusive :  Thus  evidencing  fully,  that  the  tide  of  popu- 
lation very  greatly  inclined  to  the  East  River. 

Mrs.  Myers,  the  daughter  of  said  D.  Grim,  said  she  had  seen  the 
British  barracks  of  wood,  enclosed  by  a  high  fence.  It  extended  from 
Broadway  to  Chatham  street,  along  present  Chamber  street,  exactly 
where  is  now  the  Museum.  It  had  a  gate  at  each  end  ; — the  one  by 
Chatham  street,  was  called  Tryon's  Gate,"  from  which  we  have  de- 
rived since  there,  the  name  of  "  Tryon's  Row." 

About  the  year  1788,  the  whole  of  the  ancient  fort,  near  the  silo  of 
the  present  Battery,  was  all  taken  down  and  levelled  under  tiie  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  J.  Pintard  (now  Secretary  of  Insurance  OOice)  and  Mr. 
Janeway  (or  Janny)  as  City  Commissioners.  The  design  was  to  pre- 
pare the  site  to  erect  thereon  a  house  for  General  Washington  as  Pre- 
sident of  the  United  States,  but  as  the  Congress  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia, he  never  occupied  it,  and  it  therefore  became  the  "  Governor's 
house,"  in  the  person  of  Governor  Clinton. 

In  taking  down  the  ancient  Dutch  chapel  vault,  they  came  to  re- 
mains of  Lord  and  Lady  Bellcrmont,  in  leaden  coffins,  known  by  fa- 
mily Escutcheon,  and  inscriptions  in  silver  plates.  These  coffins  with 
several  bones  of  others,  were  taken  by  Mr.  Pintard,  who  told  me,  to 
St.  Paul's  church  ground,  where  they  all  rest  now  in  one  conunon 
grave  without  any  notice  above  ground  of  "  storied  urn  or  animated 
bust  !"*  I  am  chagrined  to  say,  that  Mr.  P.  told  me  the  silver  plates 
were  taken  by  his  colleague  for  his  own,  or  for  a  museum — I  do  not 
temember  which — but  afterwards  with  bad  taste,  converted  into  spoons ' 
A  story  much  like  this,  is  told  of  the  use  made  of  the  coffin  plates  of 
Governor  Paulus  Vanderbrecke  and  wife,  placed  first  in  G.  Baker's 
Museum,  and  afterwards  to  Tamany  Hall.  Lord  Bellermont  died  in 
1701. 

This  brief  notice  of  the  once  renowned  dead,  so  soon  divested  of 
sculptured  fame,  leads  me  to  the  notice  of  some  other  cases  where  the 
sculpturor's  hand  could  not  give  even  brief  existence  to  once  mighty 


*  They  rest  about  sixty  feet  in  a  straijrht  line  west  from  the  steeple — so  sar-j 
^Ir.  P     The  red  silk  veh'et  on  the  top  of  the  coffins,  was  entire  ! 


so 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


Jiames.  I  refer  to  the  King's  equosliian  statue  of  lead  in  tlic  centre 
of  the  Bowlinn-  Green,  and  to  Pitt's  marble  statue  in  Wall  street, 
centre  of  Will  jam  street.  Both  are  gone,  and  scarcely  may  you  learn 
the  history  of  their  abduction.    So  frail  is  human  glory  ! 

The  latter  I  found  after  much  inquiry  and  search  in  the  Arsenal 
yard  on  the  site  of  the  collect.  It  had  before  been  to  Bridewell  yard. 
The  statue  is  of  fine  marble  and  fine  execution,  in  a  Roman  toga,  and 
.showing  the  roll  of  Magna  Charta;  but  it  is  decapitated,  and  without 
hands — in  short,  a  sorry  relic  !  Our  patriot  fathers  of  the  revolution, 
when  they  erected  it,  swore  it  should  be  as  eternal  as  "  enduring 
marble ;" — they  idolized  the  man  as  their  British  champion, 

"  In  freedoin's  cause  with  orenerous  warmth  inspired." 
But  the  fact  was,  while  the  British  army  occupied  New  York,  their 
champion  lost  his  head  on  some  unknown  occasion,  and  has  never  since 
been  heard  of!  The  statue  itself  was  taken  down  soon  after  the 
peace,  both  as  an  inconvenience  in  the  street,  so  narrow  there  in  the 
busy  mart,  and  also  as  a  deformity.  Alexander  M'Cormick,  Esq.  who 
dwelt  near  the  statue,  told  me  it  disappeared  the  night  of  St.  Andrew, 
when  as  it  was  whispered,  some  British  officers  who  had  been  at  their 
revels,  struck  it  ofT  in  revelry,  rather  than  in  spite.  No  inquisition 
was  made  for  it  at  the  time — one  hand  had  before  been  struck  off,  it 
v.'Gs  supposed,  by  boys.  A  story  was  told  among  some  Whigs,  that  the 
Tories  had  struck  off  the  head  in  retaliation  for  the  alleged  insult 
offered  to  the  King,  by  drawing  his  statue  along  the  street,  to  melt  it 
into  bullets  for  the  war.  ]\Iy  friend  John  Baylie  was  present  in  April, 
'76,  and  saw  the  degrading  spectacle.  He  saw  no  decent  people  pre- 
sent;— a  great  majority  were  shouting  boys.  The  insult,  if  so  meant, 
was  to  the  dead,  as  the  statue  was  of  George  the  2d — "  our  most 
gracious  King !"  .  - 

"  Tlicn  boast  not  honors.    Sculpture  can  bestow, 
Short  lived  renown  !" 

{Qnerie :  should  not  the  Society  of  Artists  pos.«ess  and  repair  such  a 
piece  of  art  as  Pitts'  statue  ?] 

Before  the  revolution  and  even  some  time  afterwards,  William  street 
was  the  great  mart  for  dry  good  sales  and  chiefly  from  Maiden  lane  up 
10  Pearl  street.  It  was  the  proper  Bond  street  too  for  the  beaux  and 
iihopping  belles.    Now  Broa-.Iway  has  its  turn  ! 

Pearl  street  then  had  no  stores,  but  it  was  the  place  of  good  dwell- 
ings ; — then  Broadway  had  no  stores  or  business,  and  had  but  a  few 
scattered  houses  about  the  region  of  the  new  City  Ilall. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  FactS' 


Before  the  revolution  the  only  road  out  of  town,  was  by  the  Bov;ery 
road,  and  was  once  called  "  the  high  road  to  Boston." 

The  Bowling  Green  was  before  called  "  the  Parade/' 

Mr.  Thomas  Swords,  aged  sixty-six,  told  me  he  remembered  to  have 
seen  the  remains  of  an  old  redoubt,  by  Grace  and  Lumber  street, 
(corner)  the  same  which  was  presumed  once  to  have  terminated  the 
northern  line  of  the  city,  along  Wall  street ; — it  was  a  hill  there ; — 
there  American  prisoners  were  buried  in  time  of  the  revolution ;  and 
he  has  seen  coffins  there  in  the  wasting  banks  of  the  mount ; — at  the 
foot  of  it,  was  the  beach  along  the  North  River. 

The  grand-father  of  Mr.  James  Rogert,  told  him  oyster  vessels  used 
to  come  up  Broad  street  to  sell  them ;  and  in  later  times,  water  used 
to  enter  cellars  along  that  street,  from  the  canal. 

David  Grim,  in  his  very  interesting  topographical  draft  of  the  city 
as  it  was  in  1742-4,  (done  by  him  when  seventy-six  years  of  age,  iit 
the  year  1813)  is  a  highly  useful  relic  and  gift  of  the  olden  time. 
His  generous  attention  to  posterity  in  that  gift  to  the  Historical  Soci- 
ety, is  beyond  all  praise,  as  a  work  in  itself  sui  generis,  and  not  to  bo 
replaced  by  any  other  data.  He  was  a  chronicle,  and  lived  to  bo 
eighty-nine,  and  to  wonder  at  the  advancements  and  changes  arouncf 
him !  I  here  mark  some  of  his  facts  : 

He  marks  the  "Governor's  Garden,"  near  tliC  fort,  as  ranging  aIon<r 
the  line  of  Whitehall  street,  next  tlie  fort,  and  there  turning  an  angle 
of  the  fort  and  enclosing  westward  to  the  river.  This  also  agrees 
with  the  report  of  others  who  told  me  of  seeing  deer  kept  by  the 
Governor,  in  front  of  the  fort  on  the  ground  of  the  Water  Battery. 

Mr.  Grim  marks  the  line  of  a  narrow  canal  or  channel  in  Broad 
street,  as  open  above  the  present  Pearl  street,  and  there  covered  by 
the  bridge  or  Exchange  house,  or  both. 

He  marks  the  localities  of  public  wells  in  the  middle  of  the  streets. 

He  marks  Rutger's  farm  as  laying  north-west  of  the  collect,  and 
Winthorn's  farm  as  south-east  of  the  same. 

At  the  foot  of  Courtlandt  street,  he  marks  the  then  onlij  wharf.  We 
know  it  was  built  there  for  King's  purposes,  having  thereon  an  Arsenal 
reaching  up  to  Day  street. 

Mr.  David  Grim  told  his  daughter  of  there  having  been  a  market 
once  held  at  the  head  of  Broad  street.    This  agrees  with  what  G. 
Bleeker,  Esq.  told  me,  as  from  his  grand  mother,  who  spoke  of  h 
market  at  Garden  street,  which  was  in  effect  the  same  place. 


32  Local  Chinigxs  and  Local  Fads'. 

BdlveweH's  City  Portrait  of  1747,  a  fine  perspective,  mark:s  thf 
Great  Dock  at  the  foot  of  Bro<i(l  stre(!t,  as  having  a  long  dividing 
wliarf,  projecting  into  it  from  Broad  street  and  set  on  piles,  which  leads 
rne  to  the  idea  of  "  the  bridge"  so  often  named  there.  It  was  ])roba- 
l)Iy  the  landing  place  for  the  unloaded  goods  from  vessels  in  the  east 
and  west  mole  on  both  sides  of  it. 

Alow  market  house  on  arches,  having  a  large  dial  ])late  on  its  roof 
in  front,  is  set  at  the  foot  of  Broad  street. 

The  City  Cor])oration  grants  to  Trinity  church,  in  1703,  as  I  saw  of 
record  in  Mr.  Bleeker's  office,  the  grounds  there  "  for  a  burying 
place,  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  forever;"  and  upon  any  of  the 
inhabitants  of  said  city  paying  therefor  to  the  Hector,  &;c.  3s.  for 
each  corpse  above  twelve  years  of  age,  and  Is.  6d.  for  any.  under  tweh  e 
years  of  age  and  no  more."  This  last  emphatic  word  may  seem  pe- 
culiar when  we  reflect  how  very  special  and  exclusive  those  grounds 
have  been  so  long  occupied. 

In  the  minutes  of  council  of  1696,  I  saw  that  a  sewer  of  1100  feef 
length  was  recommended  to  be  made  in  the  Broad  street. 

I  saw  in  the  City  Commissoners'  office,  that  the  population  of  New 
York  in  1730,  was  only  8638 — and  in  1825,  it  was  166,086. 

David  Grim  told  Mr.  Lydigg  that  he  had  seen  the  river  water  over 
Chatham  street  and  Pearl  street,  and  extending  from  the  east  to  the 
North  River — along  the  line  of  the  collect  as  I  presume. 

Mr.  Brower  and  others  have  explained  to  me,  that  all  along  present 
Grand  street,  as  it  approaches  to  Corlears  Hook,  was  formerly  very 
high  hills  covered  with  apple  and  peach  trees.  IMuch  too  of  the  pre- 
sent level  Harman  street,  leading  into  Grand  street,  was  formerly  hills 
of  sixty  feet  height.  The  materials  of  these  hills  so  cut  down,  fur- 
nish excellent  gravel  for  new  streets  and  especially  the  means  of  ex- 
tending their  grounds  out  into  the  rivers. 

I  saw,  back  of  Brooklyn,  on  the  height,  much  of  the  remains  of 
redoubts  and  entrenchments  still  remaining  in  the  fields.  The  Ame- 
ricans having  constructed  an  entire  line  of  them,  from  the  Navy  Yard 
down  to  their  fort  on  the  south  of  Brooklyn. 

From  an  eminence,  on  the  road  to  Flat  Bush,  I  saw  an  interesting 
prospect  of  Brooklyn  and  New  Y'ork  and  all  the  connecting  scenery. 
The  hill  I  believe  was  called  "  Flat-Bush  Hill,"  and  ought  to  be  occu- 
pied by  some  good  house  of  entertainment : — a  handsome  cottage  has 
.«ince  been  erected  there. 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts* 


33 


Hudson's  Square  is  a  beautiful  embellishment  of  New  York,  re- 
deemed from  a  former  waste.  The  large  growth  of  the  trees — the 
abundance  of  gratefule  shades,  make  it  in  connexion  with  the  superi- 
ority  of  the  uniform  houses  which  surround  it,  a  place  of  imposing 
grandeur.  The  continuous  long  lines  of  iron  palisades,  both  round  the 
square  and  before  the  areas  of  every  house,  and  up  the  several  door 
steps,  give  a  peculiar  aspect  of  European  style  and  magnificence. 

The  residences  of  Col.  Rutger's  and  Col.  Willet,  though  originally 
located  far  out  of  town,  on  the  East  River  side,  have  been  surrounded 
by  the  encroaching  population ;  but  as  the  encroachments  have  not  beeii 
permitted  to  close  very  close  upon  them,  they  are  still  enabled  to  re- 
tain some  grounds  around  them  of  rural  appearance.  Col.  Willet's 
house  was  formerly  on  a  knoll,  situated  on  the  margin  of  Stuyvesant 
Swamp.  Soon  all  such  recollections  will  be  obliterated,  by  the  entire 
diflerent  face  of  things  as  they  now  appear  there. 

David  Grim  said  he  remembered  when  carmen  first  took  about  the 
tea  water ;  it  was  but  one-third  of  present  prices.  The  water,  for-^ 
merly,  was  good  at  the  wells  and  some  of  the  street  pumps. 

He  remembered  when  only  one  lamp  was  used  in  the  street — say  at 
the  corner  of  Wall  and  William  streets. 

Mr.  Brower  told  me,  street  lamps  came  into  use  about  ten  years 
before  the  revolution.  The  carts  at  that  time  were  not  allowed  to  have 
any  tire  on  their  wheels. 

The  carriage  of  the  Mail,  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
even  since  the  revolution,  was  a  very  small  affair ;  it  Vv^as  hardly  an 
affair  to  be  robbed— for,  a  boy  without  any  means  of  defence,  took 
the  whole  in  saddle  bags  on  horse-back.  Then,  they  wondered  to  see 
it  enlarged,  and  took  it  on  a  sulky ;  and  by  and  bye,  "  the  wonder 
grew,"  that  it  should  still  more  enlarge,  and  they  took  off*  the  body 
and  run  it  in  a  large  bag  on  the  platform  set  on  the  wheels.  It  was 
then  long  deemed  as  at  its  ne  plus  ultra ;  whereas,  now,  it  is  a  load  of 
itself  for  a  four  horse  stage  !  At  that  time,  the  Post  always  went  to 
and  fro,  from  the  "  Blazing  Star,"  vis  a  vis  Staten  Island,  now  unknown 
as  a  great  thoroughfare. 

General  Washington's  residence  in  New  York,  was  at  the  house  now 
the  Franklin  Bank ;— to  that  house  he  once  went  in  procession.  The 
house  was  kept  by  Osgood,  and  was  then  No.  1,  in  pre-eminence. 

The  house  No.  176  Water  street,  was  the  first  in  New  York,  to 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


change  leaden  sashes  for  wooden  ones ; — leaden  ones  were  general. 
Even  Trinity  church  had  its  leaden  panes  put  in  after  the  fire  of  1778. 

Dr.  Hosack's  map  showing  the  grounds  of  New  York  as  invaded  by 
water  from  the  rivers,  marks  *'  Rutger's  Swamp"  as  united  to  the 
East  River  by  a  little  creek  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  Rutger's  Slip. 

At'  Corlear's  Hook,  he  also  marks  much  marsh  ground  uniting  to 
the  river,  by  a  small  creek. 

Bcekman's  Swamp  is  also  united  to  the  East  River,  by  a  little  creek 
next  south-west  of  Peck's  Slip. 

Governor's  Island,  originally  called  Nutting  Island,  because  of  the 
quantity  of  hazel  and  other  nuts  growing  there  and  furnishing  the 
winter's  supply  to  the  citizens.  In  later  times,  says  Knickerbocker, 
it  was  cultivated  in  gardens  for  the  use  of  the  Colonial  Governors — 
*'  once  a  smiling  garden  of  the  sovereigns  of  the  province." 

It  was  originally  a  part  of  Long  Island  ;  however  it  may  now  appear 
to  the  eye  on  beholding  so  wide  a  separation  by  deep  water.  This 
widening  and  deepening  of  the  Buttermilk  Channel  has  been  caused 
by  the  filling  in  of  the  south  side  of  the  city. 

An  old  gentleman  is  now  alive  who  remembers  that  as  late  as  1786, 
the  Buttermilk  Channel  was  then  deemed  unsafe,  even  for  boats  to 
pass  through  it,  because  of  the  numerous  rocks  there.  It  was  how- 
ever so  used  for  a  boat  channel,  through  which,  boats  with  milk  and 
buttermilk,  going  to  New  York  market  from  Long  Island,  usually 
made  their  passage.  My  mother  has  told  me  that  when  she  first  en- 
tered New  York  harbor — then  a  girl — she  was  surprised  to  see  all  the 
market  boats  traversing  the  East  River,  rowed  by  robust  women  with- 
out hats  or  bonnets— their  heads  fitted  with  close  caps— two  rowers  to 
each. 

The  same  gentleman  who  told  of  the  channel  as  he  noticed  it  in  1786, 
had  his  attention  called  to  it  then  by  a  Mr.  Van  Alstine,  upwards  of 
eighty  years  of  age,  who  said  that  he  remembered  when  Governor's 
Island  was  seperated  from  Long  Island,  only  by  a  narrow  creek,  which 
was  crossed  upon  a  log,  raised  above  the  high  tide,  and  having  staked 
logs  for  a  foot-way  through  the  marsh  then  there  on  each  side  of  the 
creek. 

William  Richards,  of  Philadelphia,  famous  there  for  pickling  stur- 
geon, went  on  to  New  York,  before  the  revolution,  to  plant  lobsters 
in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York ;  before  which  time  they  chiefly 
imported  them  from  Rhode  Island.    He  had  a  vote  of  thanks  of  the 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Facts. 


35 


Assembly,  many  years  afterwards.  Lobsters  after  this,  probably  be- 
came naturalized  about  Harlem. 

In  1756,  the  frst  stage  is  started  between  Philadelphia  and  New 
York,  by  Mr.  Butler — three  days  through. 

In  1765,  a  second  stage  is  announced  to  travel  between  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  to  go  through  in  three  days,  being  a  covered  Jersey 
waggon,  at  2d.  a  mile— owned  in  Philadelphia. 

In  1766,  another  stage  called  "the  Flying  Machine,"  to  go  through 
m  two  days,  "  in  good  waggons,  and  seats  on  springs,"  at  3d.  a  mile, 
or  20s.  through.    This  also  owned  in  Philadelphia. 

In  1756,  the  first  British  Packet  boats,"  commence  from  New 
York  to  Falmouth ;  each  letter  to  pay  four  penny  weight  of  silver. 

All  newspapers  went  free  of  postage  before  year  1758.  It  was 
then  ordered  that  by  reason  of  their  great  increase,  they  should  pay 
9d.  a  year  for  fifty  miles,  and  Is.  6d.  for  one  hundred  miles ! 

In  1755,  the  mail  was  changed  from  once  a  fortnight  to  once  a  week. 

Mr.  M'Cormick,  of  Wall  street,  remembered  when  "Burnett's 
Key"  extended  from  Wall  street  up  to  Maiden  lane,  in  one  entire  linft 
of  front  and  projecting  out  from  Water  street,  beyond  any  other  line 
of  wharves.    It  was  the  bathing  place  of  the  city  boys  and  of  himself. 

In  1702,  New  York  was  visited  with  a  very  mortal  sickness.  Isaac 
Norris'  MS.  letter  says,  "  the  great  sickness— Barbadoes  Distemper  or 
Yellow  Fever— as  we  had  it  in  Philadelphia  three  years  before.  Some 
hundred  died  there  and  many  left  the  town,  so  that  as  we  passed  it, 
it  was  almost  desolate." 

In  1743,  a  yellow  fever,  as  it  was  called,  visited  New  York—"  not 
imported"— but  like  it  was  at  Philadelphia  three  years  before ;— they 
had  black  vomit  and  spots.    Vide  R.  Peters'  MSS. 

In  digging  for  a  lamp  post,  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Reed  street 
and  Broadway,  they  were  surprised  to  get  up  several  human  bones, 
and  thus  leading  to  the  recollection  of  the  former  fact,  that  between 
that  place  and  Chamber  street,  was  once  the  area  of  the  Negroes' 
burying  ground ;— it  was  on  a  descending  hill,  inclining  northward. 

In  Lyne's  Survey  of  New  York,  he  marks  a  lane  called  "  Old  Wind 
Mill  Lane,"  laying  between  present  Courtlandt  and  Liberty  streets, 
extending  from  Broadway  to  present  Greenwich  street,  and  thence 
north-westward  towards  the  river  side,  where  the  Wind  Mill  must 
have  stood.  It  was  then  the  most  northern  street  on  the  western  side 
of  Broadway— all  beyond  was  the  King's  farm. 


36 


Local  Changes  and  Local  Fads. 


The  same  survey  fills  up  the  head  of  present  Broadway,  with  a  long 
rope  walk  and  a  long  line  of  trees,  reaching  from  present  Barclay 
street  as  high  as  the  hospital. 

At  that  time  there  was  at  the  foot  of  the  present  Chamber  street,  on 
North  River,  a  distinguished  Public  Garden  and  Bowling  Green. 

Among  the  names  of  streets  changed^  are  these :— present  Pine 
street  was  called  King  street ;  Pearl  street  was  Queen  street ;  Cedar 
street  now,  was  Little  Queen  street ;  Liberty  street  was  Crown  street, 
importing  the  Crown  supplanted  by  our  self-rvlc  since  I  The  western 
end  of  Garden  street,  was  a  hill  called  Flatten-barrack— a  celebrated 
place  for  the  boys  in  winter,  to  sled  down  hill !  Present  Beaver  street, 
cast,  of  Broad  street,  was  Princess  street ;  present  Stone  street,  east 
of  Broad  street,  was  Duke  street;  Pearl  street,  near  Broad  street,  was 
Dock  street ;  John  street  now,  east  of  "William  street,  was  called 
Golden  Hill.— The  hill  once  there  at  its  intersection  with  Cliff  street, 
gave  rise  to  the  name  of  that  street  along  the  Cliff.  William  street, 
at  its  southern  end,  was  called  South  street— say  from  Maiden  lane  to 
the  East  River. 


MAlNNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

"  A  different  face  of  things  each  age  appears, 
And  all  things  alter  in  a  course  of  years  I" 

I  AM  indebted  for  the  following  ideas  of  "  Men  and  Manners  once,'' 
as  seen  in  the  middle  state  of  life  generally,  by  facts  imparted  to  mo 
by  Mr.  Brower,  aged  seventy-five, — to  wit : 

The  Dutch  kept  five  festivals,  of  peculiar  notoriety,  in  the  year — 
say,  Kerstydt,  (Christmas) ;  Nieuw  jar^  (New  Year,)  a  great  day  of 
cake  ;  Paas,  (the  Passover) ;  Pinxter,  (i.  e.  Whitsuntide) ;  and  Sail 
Claas,  (i.  e.  Saint  Nicholas,  or  Christ-kinkle  day.)  The  Negroes  on 
Long  Island,  on  some  of  those  days,  came  in  great  crowds  to  Brooklyn 
and  held  their  field  frolics. 

It  was  the  general  practice  of  families  in  middle  life,  to  spin  and 
make  much  of  their  domestic  wear  at  home.  Short  ^owns  and  petti- 
coats were  the  general  in-door  dresses. 

Young  women  who  dressed  gay  to  go  abroad  to  visit  or  to  church- 
never  failed  to  take  off  that  dress  and  put  on  their  home-made,  as 
soon  as  they  got  home  ;  even  on  Sunday  evenings  when  they  expected 
company,  or  even  their  beaux,  it  was  their  best  recommendation  to 
seem  thus  frugal  and  ready  for  any  domestic  avocation.  The  boys  and 
young  men  of  a  family,  always  changed  their  dress,  for  a  common 
dress,  in  the  same  way.  There  was  no  custom  of  offering  drink  to 
their  guests ; — when  punch  was  offered,  it  was  in  great  bowls. 

Dutch  dances  were  very  common ;  the  supper  on  such  occasions, 
was  a  pot  of  chocolate  and  bread.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Laidlie  who  arrived 
in  1764,  did  much  to  preach  them  into  disuse ;  he  was  very  exact  in 
his  piety,  and  was  the  Jirst  minister  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
who  was  called  to  preach  in  the  English  language. 

The  Negroes  used  to  dance  in  the  markets,  where  they  used  tom- 
toms, horns,  dec.  for  music.  They  used  often  to  sell  Negro  slaves  at 
the  Coffee-house. 

All  marriages  had  to  be  published  before-hand,  three  weeks  at  the 
churches,  or  else  to  avoid  that,  they  had  to  purchase  a  license  of  the 
Governor: — a  seemingly  singular  surveilance  for  a  great  Military 
Chief!    We  may  presume  he  cared  little  for  the  fact  beyond  his  fee  ! 

Before  the  revolution,  tradesmen  of  good  repute,  worked  hard ; — 
there  were  none  as  masters,  mere  lookers-on ; — they  hardly  expected 
;o  be  rich ; — their  chief  concern  in  summer,  was  to  make  enough 


o8 


Manners  and  Customs. 


a-head  to  lay  up  carefully  for  a  living  in  severe  winter.  Wood  \va» 
even  a  serious  concern  to  such,  when  only  2s.  6d.  to  3s.  a  load. 

None  of  the  stores  or  tradesmen's  shops  then  aimed  at  any  rivalry 
as  now.  There  were  no  glaring  allurements  at  windows,  nor  over- 
reaching signs — no  big  bulk  windows ; — they  were  content  to  sell 
things  at  honest  profits,  and  to  trust  to  an  earned  reputation,  for  their 
share  of  business. 

It  was  the  Englishmen  from  Britain,  who  brought  in  the  painted 
glare  and  display ; — they  also  brought  in  the  use  of  open  shops  at 
night,  an  expensive  and  needless  service  ! — for  who  sells  more  in  day 
and  night,  where  all  are  competitors,  than  they  would  in  one  day,  if 
all  were  closed  at  night ! 

In  former  days,  the  same  class  who  applied  diligently  in  business 
hours,  were  accustomed  to  close  their  shops  and  stores  at  an  early  hour 
and  to  go  abroad  for  exercise  and  recreation,  or  to  gardens,  &c.  All 
was  done  on  foot,  for  chaises  and  horses  were  few. 

The  candidates  for  the  Assembly,  usually  from  the  city,  kept  open 
houses  in  each  ward,  for  one  week — producing  much  excitement 
among  those  who  thought  more  of  the  regale  than  the  public  weal. 

Physicians  in  that  day,  were  moderate  in  their  charges,  although 
their  personal  labor  was  great.  They  had  to  make  all  their  calls  on 
foot — none  thought  of  riding.  Drs.  Baylie  and  M'Knight,  when  old, 
were  the  first  who  are  remembered  as  riding  to  their  patients.  Dr. 
Attvvood  is  remembered  as  the  first  physician  who  had  the  hardihood 
to  proclaim  himself  as  a  man  midwife ; — it  was  deemed  a  scandal  to 
some  delicate  ears ;  and  Mrs.  Granny  Brown,  with  her  fees  of  two  to 
three  dollars,  was  still  deemed  the  choice  of  all  who  thought  "  women 
should  be  modest !" 

"  Moving  day,"  was,  as  now,  the  first  of  May,  from  time  ir  inenio»« 
rial! 

They  held  no  "  fairs,"  but  they  often  went  to  the  "  Philadelphia 
Fairs," — once  celebrated. 

At  the  New  Year  and  Christmas  festivals,  it  was  the  custom  to  go 
out  to  the  ice  on  Beekman's  and  such  like  swamps,  to  shoot  at  turkeys; 
every  one  paid  a  price  for  his  shot,  as  at  a  mark,  and  if  he  hit  it  so  as 
to  draw  blood,  it  was  his  for  a  New  Year  or  Christmas  Dinner !  A 
fine  subject  this  for  Dr.  Laidlie's  preaching  and  reformation  ! 

At  funerals,  the  Dutch  gave  hot  wine  in  winter ;  and  in  summer^ 
they  gave  wine-sangaree. 


i 


Manners  and  Customs,  39 

I  have  notice:!  a  singular  custom  among  Dutch  families ; — a  father 
gives  a  bundle  of  goose  quills  to  a  son,  telling  him  to  give  one  to  each 
of  his  male  posterity.  1  saw  one  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  James  Bo- 
gert,  which  had  a  scroll  appended,  saying,  "  this  quill  given  by  Petrus 
Byvanck  to  James  Bogert,  in  1789,  was  a  present  in  1689,  from  his 
grand-father,  from  Holland." 

It  is  now  deemed  a  rule  of  high  life  in  New  York,  that  ladies  should 
not  attend  funerals — it  was  not  always  so.  Having  been  surprised  at 
the  change,  and  not  being  aware  of  any  sufficient  reason  why  females 
should  have  an  exemption  from  personal  attention  to  departed  friends, 
from  which  their  male  relatives  couJd  not,  I  have  been  curious  to  in- 
quire into  the  facts  in  the  case.  I  find  thart  females  among  the 
Friends,  attend  funerals,  and  also  among  some  other  religious  com- 
munities. 

I  have  been  well  assured  that  before  the  revolution,  genteelest  fa- 
milies had  ladies  to  their  funerals,  and  especially  if  she  was  a  female ; 
on  such  occasions  burnt  wine"  was  handed  about  in  tankards,  often 
of  silver. 

On  one  occasion,  the  case  of  the  wife  of  Daniel  Phoenix,  the  City 
Treasurer,  all  the  pall  bearers  were  ladies — and  this  fact  occurred 
dnce  the  revolution. 

Many  aged  persons  have  spoken  to  me  of  the  former  delightful 
practice  of  families  sitting  out  on  their  "  stoopes"  in  the  shades  of 
the  evening,  and  there  saluting  the  passing  friends,  or  talking  across 
the  narrow  streets,  with  neighbors.  It  was  one  of  the  grand  links  of 
union  in  the  Knickerbocker  social  compact.  It  endeared  and  made 
social  neighbors ; — made  intercourse  on  easy  terms  ; — it  was  only  to 
say,  "  come  sit  down."  It  helped  the  young  to  easy  introductions  and 
made  courtships  of  readier  attainment. 

I  give  some  facts  to  illustrate  the  above  remarks,  deduced  from  the 

family  of  B  with  which  I  am  personally  acquainted.    It  shows 

primitive  Dutch  manners.  His  grand-ffUher  died  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
three,  in  1782,  holding  the  office  of  Alderman  eleven  years,  and  once 
chosen  Mayor  and  declined.  Such  a  man,  in  easy  circumstance  in 
life,  following  the  true  Dutch  ton,  had  all  his  family  to  breakfast,  all 
the  year  round,  at  day  light — before  the  breakfast,  he  universally 
smoked  his  pipe.  His  family  always  dined  at  twelve  exactly.  At 
that  time,  the  kettle  was  invariably  set  on  the  fire,  for  tea,  of  Bohea, 
which  was  always  as  punctually  furnished  at  three  o'clock.    Then  the 


40 


Mujiucrs  and  Customs. 


old  people  went  abroad  on  purpose  to  visit  relatives,  changing  the  fa- 
milies each  night  in  succession,  over  and  over  again,  all  the  year 
round.  The  regale  at  every  such  house,  was  expected  as  matter  of 
<*ourse,  to  be  chocolate  supper  and  soft  walUcs. 

Afterwards,  when  green  tea  came  in  as  a  new  luxury,  loaf  sugar  also 
»'ame  with  it ;  this  was  broken  in  large  lumps  and  laid  severally  by 
(Hich  cup,  and  was  nibbled  or  bitten  as  needed ! 

The  family  before  referred  to,  actually  continued  the  practice  till  as 
late  as  seventeen  years  ago,  with  a  steady  determination  in  the  patri- 
arch, to  resist  the  modern  innovation  of  dissolved  sugar,  while  he  lived  ' 

Besides,  the  foregoing  facts  I  have  had  them  abundantly  confirmed 
by  others. 

While  they  occupied  the  stoopes  in  the  evening,  you  could  see 
every  here  and  there  an  old  Knickerbocker  Avith  his  long  pipe,  fuming 
away  his  cares,  and  ready  on  any  occasion  to  offer  another  for  the  use 
of  any  passing  friend  who  would  sit  down  and  join  him.  The  ideal 
picture  has  every  lineament  of  coiitented  comfort  and  chearful  repose. 
Something  much  more  composed  and  happy,  than  the  bustling  anxiety 
of  "  over  business"  in  the  moderns. 

The  cleanliness  of  Dutch  housewifery  was  always  extreme ; — every 
thing  had  to  submit  to  scrubbing  and  scouering; — dirt  in  no  form 
could  be  endured  by  them :  and  dear  as  water  was  in  the  city,  where 
It  was  always  sold,  still  it  was  in  perpetual  requisition.  It  was  their 
honest  pride  to  see  a^N  ell  furnished  dresser,  showing  copper  and  pew- 
ter in  shining  splendour,  as  if  for  ornament,  rather  than  for  use!  In 
Jill  this,  they  widely  difl'cred  from  the  Germans,  a  people  with  whom 
they  have  been  erroneously  luid  often  confounded.  Roost  fowls  and 
ducks  are  not  more  different !— As  water  draws  one,  it  repels  the 
other ! 

It  was  common  in  families  then  to  cleanse  their  own  chimneys, 
without  the  aid  of  hired  sweeps ;  and  all  tradesmen,  &c.  were  accus- 
tomed to  saw  their  own  fuel.  Mr.  Brov.  er  said  no  man  in  middle  cir- 
cumstances of  life,  ever  scrupled  to  carry  home  his  100  cwt.  of  meal 
from  the  market ;  it  would  have  been  his  shame  to  have  avoided  it. 

A  greater  change  in  the  state  of  society,  cannot  be  named,  than 
that  of  hired  persons.  Hired  women,  from  being  formerly  lowly  in 
dress,  wearing  short  gowns  and  petticoats  of  linsey-woolsey,  and  re- 
ceiving but  half  a  dollar  a  week,  have,  since  they  have  threbled  that 
wages,  got  to  all  the  pride  and  vanity  of  *'  showing  out"  to  strangers, 


Manners  and  Customs. 


41 


as  well  diest  ladies.  The  cheapness  of  foreign  finery,  gives  them  the 
ready  means  of  wasting  all  their  wages  in  decorations.  So  true  it  is,  that, 

*'  Excess,  the  scrofulous  and  itchy  plague, 
Taints  downward,  all  the  graduated  scale  !" 

The  Quarterly  Review,  has  preserved  one  fact  of  menial  impudence, 

in  the  case  of  the  New  York  girl,  telling  her  mistress,  before  her 

guests,  that  "  the  more  you  ring,  the  more  I  won't  come !" 

General  Lafayette,  too,  left  us  a  compliment  of  dubious  import  on 

his  formal  entre  at  New  York,  when  seeing  such  crowds  of  well  dressed 

people,  and  no  remains  of  such  as  he  had  seen  in  the  period  of  the 

revolution— a  people  whose  dress  was  adapted  to  their  condition— he 

exclaimed,  "  but  where  is  the  peoplef^  emphatically  meaning,  where  is 

the  useful  class  of  citizens,  "  the  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water !" 

"  All  are  infected  with  the  manners  and  the  modes, 
It  knew  not  once  !" 

Before  the  revolution,  all  men  who  worked  in  any  employ,  always 
wore  his  leathern  apron  before  him— never  took  it  off  to  go  in  the 
street,  and  never  had  on  a  long  coat. 

We  are  glad  to  witness  the  rise  of  new  feelings  among  the  Dutch 
descendants,  tending  to  cherish  by  anniversary  remembrances,  the 
love  and  reverence  they  owe  their  sires.  For  this  object,  as  they  have 
no  "  landing  day,"  like  us,  they  resort  to  their  tutelary  protector  Saint 
Nicholas  :  on  such  occasions,  decorating  themselves  or  hall  with  orange 
colored  ribbons,  and  inscribing  "Oranje  Boven," — and  garnishing 
their  table  with  "  Malck  and  Suppawn" — with  rullities — and  their 
hands  with  long  stemmed  pipes. 

We  are  sorry  we  do  not  know  the  history  better  than  we  do,  of  a 
Saint  so  popular  as  he  is,  with  only  his  name  of  St.  Claes  to  help  him. 
He  seems  however  to  be  the  most  merry  and  jocose  in  all  the  calen- 
der. The  boys  all  welcome  him  as  *'  the  bountiful  Saint  Nick," — 
and  as  "  De  Patroon  Van  Kindervreugd"— i.  e.  the  Patron  of  Child- 
rens'  Joy. 

"  A  right  jolly  old  Elf,  with  a  little  round  belly, 
Which  shakes  when  he  laughs,  like  a  bowl  full  of  jelly." 

All  we  know  from  Knickerbocker,  is  what  the  figure  of  Hudson's 

Guede  Vrouw  represented  him  as  attired  "  in  a  low  brimed  hat— a 

large  pair  of  Flemish  trunk  hose,  and  a  very  long  pipe." 

In  1765,  the  best  families  in  New  York,  entered  into  certain  sump- 

t'lary  laws  to  restrain  the  usual  expenses  and  pomp  of  funerals. 

F 


MEMORIALS  OF  THE  DUTCH  DYNASTY. 

"Dwell  o'er  the  remembrance  of  former  years!" 
Having  said  that  the  office  of  the  Common  Council  contains  no 
irccords  of  the  city,  preceding  the  conquest  by  the  British,  I  shall  add 
here  some  tokens  of  the  fact,  that  there  are  numerous  collections  of 
Dutch  records  now  existing  in  the  archieves  of  state,  at  Albany— fur- 
nishing a  rich  mine  of  antiquarian  lore,  for  some  future  explorer. 

"  Yet  still  will  memory's  busy  eye  retrace 
Each  little  vestige  of  the  well  lov'd  plage  I" 

The  Records  thus  speak,  viz  :— 

Fort  Amsterdam,  (at  New  York)  is  repaired  and  finished  in  1635. 

Paulus  HooJc,  is  sold  by  Governor  Keift,  in  1638,  to  Abraham 
Isaacs  Plank,  for  450  guilders. 

For  Scandalizing  the  Governor,  one  Hendrick  Jansen,  in  1638,  is 
sentenced  to  stand  at  the  fort  door,  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  and  ask 
the  Governor's  pardon. 

For  Slandering  the  Rev.  E.  Bogardus,  in  1638,  (Pastor  of  the  Re- 
formed Church,  then  in  the  fort)  a  female  is  obliged  to  appear  at  the 
sound  of  the  bell  at  the  fort,  and  there,  before  the  Governor  and  Council, 
to  say,  "  she  knew  he  was  honest  and  pious,  and  that  she  lied  falsely  !" 

Torture,  was  inflicted  upon  Jan  Hobbes,  who  had  committed  a 
theft.  The  evidence  seemed  sufficient,  but  it  was  adjudged  he  should 
also  make  his  confession  by  torture. 

For  drawing  his  Knife  upon  a  person,  one  Guysbert  Van  Regers- 
lard,  was  sentenced,  in  1638,  to  throw  himself  three  times  from  the 
sail-yard  of  the  yatch  the  Hope,  and  to  receive  from  each  sailor  there 
three  lashes. 

The  Wooden  Horse  punishment  is  inflicted,  in  t>ec.  1638,  upon  two 
soldiers :  they  to  sit  thereon  for  two  hours.  This  was  a  military  punish- 
ment used  in  Holland.  He  strode  a  sharp  back,  and  his  body  was  forced 
down  to  it,  by  a  chain  and  iron  stirrup  or  a  weight,  fastened  to  his  legs. 

Goat  Milk  and  Boats,  appear  as  a  subject  of  frequent  mention  and 
regulation. 

Cases  of  Slander,  often  appear  noticed ;— such  as  that  Jan  Jansen, 
complains  of  Adam  Roelants  for  slander,  whereupon  it  was  ordered 
that  each  party  pay  to  the  use  of  the  poor,  the  sum  of  25  guilders  each. 

Tobacco,  appears  to  have  been  an  article  of  cultivation  and  of  pub- 
lic concwn  and  comnaerce.    Van  Twiller  had  his  tobacco  farm  at 


Memorials  of  the  Dutch  Dynasfp. 


43 


Greenwich.  On  the  5th  August,  1638,  two  inspectors  were  nomi- 
nated to  inspect  "  tobacco  cultivated  here  for  exportation  ;"— and  on 
the  19th  August,  same  year,  it  is  recorded,  that  because  of  "the  high 
character  it  had  obtained  in  foreign  countries,"  any  adulterations 
should  be  punished  with  heavy  penalties.  [This  agrees  with  the  fact 
at  Philadelphia  county ;— there  they  also  in  primitive  days,  sixty  years 
after  the  above  facts,  cultivated  tobacco  in  fields.] 

A  Cattle  Fair,  was  established  to  be  held  annually  on  the  15th  Oct. 
and  of  Hogs  on  the  1st  Nov.,  beginning  from  the  year  1641. 

Tavernkeepers—none  of  them  shall  be  permitted  to  give  any  sup* 
per  parties  after  nine  o'clock  at  night.  In  case  of  any  Indian  being 
found  drunk,  his  word  when  sober,  shall  be  deemed  good  enough  evi- 
dence against  the  white  person  who  made  him  so ! 

The  Oath  of  Allegiance^  was  to  be  taken  by  all  officers  of  govern- 
ment, as  a  "  test  act,"  by  swearing  "  to  maintain  the  reformed  religion, 
m  conformity  to  the  word  of  God,  and  the  decree  of  the  Synod  of 
Dordretch !"  Under  such  solemn  obligations  to  duty,  it  is  scarcely 
to  be  wondered  at  or  even  condemned,  that  the  officers  in  authority, 
overlooking  the  mild  spirit  of  the  gospel  of  peace,  and  adhering  to 
the  letter  and  the  oath  to  the  Synod,  &;c.  should  be  led  out  to  perse- 
cution !  We  therefore  find,  for  we  may  tell  a  little  of  the  truth  in 
this  matter,  that  in  1657,  sundry  Quakers  "  for  publicly  declaring  in 
the  streets,"  were  subjected  to  the  dungeon,  &;c.;  and  Robert  Hodgson 
was  led  at  a  cart  tail,  with  his  arms  pinioned,  then  beaten  with  a 
pitched  rope  until  he  fell ;  afterwards  he  was  set  to  the  wheelbarrow 
to  work  at  hard  labor.  This  continued  until  the  compassion  of  the 
sister  of  Governor  Stuyvesant  being  excited,  her  intercession  with 
that  Governor,  prevailed  to  set  him  free.  About  the  same  time,  John 
Bowne,  ancestor  of  the  present  respectable  family  of  that  name,  was. 
first  imprisoned  and  next  banished  for  the  offence  he  gave  as  a  Quaker. 
It  was  an  ordinance  of  that  day,  "that  any  person  receiving  any 
Quaker  into  their  house,  though  only  for  one  night,  should  forfeit 
£50  !  Little  did  they  understand  in  that  day,  that  "  the  sure  way  to 
propogate  a  new  religion,  was  to  proscribe  it !" 

Good  Dr.  Cotton,  in  common  with  good  Paul  of  Tarsus,  were  both 
persecutors,  "  haling  men  and  women  to  prison,"  and  saying,  '  If  the 
worship  be  lawful,  (and  they  the  judges  /)  the  compelling  to  come  to  it, 
compelleth  not  to  sin ;  but  the  sin  is  in  the  will  that  needs  to  be  forced 
to  christian  duty  /"   So  self  deceiving  is  bigotry  and  intolerance ! 


44  Memorials  of  the  Dutch  Dynasty. 

There  are  somo  fine  relics  of  the  Gov.  Stuyvesant  above  referred  tu, 
still  preserved  in  his  family,  valuable  to  a  thinking  mind,  for  the  moral 
associations  they  afford.  I  saw  them  at  the  elegant  country  mansion  of 
his  descendant  Nicholas  William  Stuyvesant,  to  wit: — a  portrait  of 
Stuyvesant,  in  armour,  which  had  been  well  executed  in  Holland,  and 
probably  while  he  was  yet  an  Admiral  there.  His  head  is  covered 
with  a  close  black  cap—his  features  strong  and  intrepid— skin  dark, 
and  the  whole  aspect  not  unlike  our  best  Indian  faces— a  kind  of  shawl 
or  sash  is  cast  roimd  his  shoulder— has  a  large  white  shirt  collar  droop- 
ing from  the  neck— has  small  mustachios  on  his  upper  lip,  and  no 
beard  elsewhere  shown.  As  I  regarded  this  quiet  remains,  of  this 
once  great  personage,  I  inwardly  exclaimed,  and  is  this  he,  in  whom 
rested  the  last  hopes  of  the  Netherlanders  in  our  country!  Himself  gone 
down  to  "  the  tomb  of  the  Capulets !"  His  remains  "  rest  in  hope," 
near  by,  in  the  family  vault,  once  constructed  within  the  walls  of  the 
second  built  Reformed  Dutch  church,  which  for  pious  purposes,  he  had 
built  at  his  personal  expense  on  his  own  farm.  The  churbh  is  gone, 
but  fhe  place  is  occupied  by  the  present  church  of  St.  Mark.  On  the 
outside  wall  of  this  latter  church,  I  saw  the  original  stone  designating 
the  body  of  him,  whose  rank  and  titles  stood  thus  inscribed,  to  wit : 
"  In  this  vault,  lies  buried 
Petrus  Stuyvesant, 
late  Captain  General  and  Commander  in  Chief  of  Amsterdam 
in  New  Netherland,  now  called  New  York,  and  the 

Dutch  West  India  Islands. 
Died  in  August,  A.  D.  1682,  aged  eighty  year?,"* 
A  fine  pear  tree  stands  just  without  the  grave  yard  wall,  in  lively 
vigour,  although  so  old  as  to  have  been  brought  out  from  Holland  and 
planted  there  by  the  Governor  Stuyvesant  himself. 

Besides  seeing  the  portrait  of  the  Governor  and  Captain  General 
as  aforesaid  in  his  array  of  manhood ;  I  saw  also  a  singular  token  of 
his  puerility  ;  no  less  than  the  very  infant  shirt,  of  fine  Holland,  edged 
with  narrow  lace,  in  which  the  Chief  was  devoted  in  baptism  and  re- 
ceived his  christening !  It  perhaps  marks  the  character  of  the  age,  in 
his  family  thus  preserving  this  kind  of  token. f 

1  saw  also  the  portrait  of  his  son,  done  also  in  Holland,  in  the  seven- 
teenth year  of  his  age.    He  is  mounted  upon  a  rampart  charger — his 

*  He  was  Governor  seventeen  years — from  1647  to  1664. 
t  Stow  says,  christening  shirts  were  giveii  in  the  time  of  Elizabeth ; — afterwards^ 
Apostles  spoons  were  givea  as  memorials. 


Memorials  of  the  Dutch  Dynasty. 


45 


head  covered  with  a  low  crowned  black  hat — a  blue  coat — his  white 
shirt  sleeves  have  the  cuffs  laced  and  turned  up  over  the  cuffs  of  the 
coat — wears  shoes  with  high  heels,  and  his  silk  hose  came  up  above 
his  knees  on  the  outside  of  the  breeches,  and  appear  there  looped  up 
m  their  place. 

There  I  also  saw  portraits  of  Bayard  and  his  wife.  He  appears 
garbed  as  a  priest — he  was  father-in-law  to  Governor  Stuyvesant. 

Other  relics  of  the  Stuyvesant  family  might  have  possibly  remained, 
but  as  the  family  house,  occupied  by  the  uncle  of  the  present  Nicholas 
William,  was  burnt  in  the  time  of  the  revolution,  by  some  of  the 
persons  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton's  family,  who  staid  there,  it  is  probable 
that  relics  and  papers  have  been  lost. 

The  Jirst  minister  ever  appointed  to  the  Dutch  Church  in  New  Am- 
sterdam,  was  the  Rev.  Everardus  Bogardus  ;  he  officiated  in  the  church 
erected  in  1642,  within  the  fort.  Thus  making  it,  as  it  probably  was, 
in  the  govermental  rulers  in  the  Netherlands,  an  affair  of  military  con- 
formity, not  unlike  the  chaplain  concerns  of  modern  warfare.  At  all 
events,  we  soon  hear  of  the  people  taking  it  into  their  minds  to  have 
another  church,  to  wit :  the  old  "  South  Dutch  Church,"  founded  in 
1643,  in  Garden  alley,  and  then  objected  to,  as  being  "  too  far  out  of 
toAvne  !"    A  rare  demur  in  our  modern  views  of  distance  ! 

Besides  the  church  so  granted  without  the  fort,  they  had  also  con- 
ferred "  a  place  for  a  Parsonage  and  Garden."  On  the  latter  being 
improved  in  all  the  formal  stiffness  of  cut  box  and  trimmed  cedar,  pre- 
senting tops  nodding  to  tops,  and  each  alley  like  its  brother,— the 
whole  so  like  Holland  itself,  it  became  attractive  to  the  public  gaze, 
and  so  gave  popular  acceptance  to  the  name  of  "  Garden  Alley."  The 
first  church  of  St.  Nicholas,  though  long  under  the  care  of  its  tutelary 
Saint,  fell  at  last  a  prey  to  the  flames  in  the  fire  of  1791. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Bogardus  above  named,  though  intended  as  an  ex- 
ample himself,  could  not  keep  his  wife  exempt  from  reproach  or  from 
the  vigilance  of  an  "evil  eye,"  for  on  the  24th  October,  1633,  (it  iri 
still  on  record  at  Alba  ny  !)  a  certain  Hendricks  Jansen  (a  sapient  re- 
former no  doubt*)  appeared  before  the  Secretary  and  certified  that  the 
•vife  of  the  Rev.  E.  Bogardus,  in  the  public  street,  drew  up.  her  petti- 
coat a  little  way  /"  Surely  this  was  an  idle  scandal  when  Dutch  petti- 
coats were  of  themselves  too  short  to  cover,  even  if  the  matron  would. 

*  It  may  be  seen  in  another  place,  that  this  same  person  for  speaking  ill  of  the 
Governor,  had  to  stand  at  tlie  fort  door  in   durance  vile.'* 


GARDENS,  FARMS,  &c. 

"Yes,  he  can  e'en  replace  agen, 
The  forests  as  he  knew  them  then ."' 

^Ir.  Abram  Browcr,  aged  seventy-five,  says,  in  his  youth  lie  deemed 
himself  "  out  of  town,"  about  where  now  stands  the  Hospital,  on  Broad- 
Way.    Blackberries  were  then  so  abundant,  as  never  to  have  been  sold* 

Jones  had  a  "  Ranalagh  Garden,"  near  the  Hospital — and  "Vaux- 
hall  Garden"  where  they  exhibited  fire-works,  wae  at  the  foot  of 
Warren  street. 

At  Corlear's  Hook,*  all  was  in  a  state  of  woods,  and  it  was  usual  to 
go  there  to  drink  mead. 

The  first  "  Drovers'  Inn,"  kept  so  near  the  city,  was  a  little  above 
St.  Paul's  church — kept  by  Adam  Vanderbarrack,  [spelt  Vanderbergh 
by  D.  Grim,  who  said  he  had  also  a  farm  there.] 

Bayard's  Spring,  in  his  woods,  was  a  place  of  great  resort  of  after- 
noons ;  it  was  a  very  charming  spring,  in  the  midst  of  abundance  of 
hickory  nut  trees ;  tradesmen  went  there  after  their  afternoon  work. 
It  lay  just  beyond  Canal  street — say  on  south  side  present  Spring 
street,  not  far  from  Varrick  street. 

In  the  year  1787,  Col.  Ramsay,  then  in  Congress,  considered  him- 
self as  living  "  out  in  the  country,"  at  the  White  Conduit  house," 
situate  between  Leonard  and  Franklin  streets. 

"  Tea  Water  Pump  Garden,"  celebrated  for  its  excellent  pump  of 
water — situate  on  Chatham  street,  near  to  Pearl  street,  was  deemed  a 
*'  far  walk."    It  was  fashionable  to  go  there  to  drink  punch,  &;c. 

A  real  farm  house  in  the  city,  stood  as  an  ancient  relic  until  eight 
years  ago,  in  such  a  central  spot  as  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Nassau 
streets — Mr.  Thoburn  saw  it,  and  was  told  so  by  its  ancient  owner. 

The  old  Dutcli  records  sufl[iciently  show  that  in  primitive  days,  all 
the  rear  of  the  town  was  cast  into  farms,  say  six  in  number,  called 
^'  Bouwerys ;"  from  whence  we  have  "  Bowery"  now.  Van  Twiller 
himself,  had  his  mansion  on  farm  No.  1,  and  his  tobacco  field  on  No. 
3.  No.  1  is  supposed  by  Mr.  Moulton's  book,  to  have  been  "  from 
Wall  street  to  Hudson  street ;"  and  No.  3  "  at  Greenwich,  then  called 
Tapohanican."  No.  4  was  near  the  plain  of  Manhattan,  including 
the  Park  to  the  Kolck ;  and  No.  5  and  6  to  have  lain  still  farther  to 
the  northward. 

The  ancient  bon-vivants  remember  still  "  Lake's  Hermitage"  as  a 
place  of  great  regale ;  the  house  and  situation  is  fine  even  now ;  situ- 


Gardens,  Farms,  6fC, 


47 


ated  now  near  the  sixth  avenue,  quite  in  the  country,  but  then  ap- 
proached only  through  "  Love  Lane." 

The  ancient  mansion  and  farm  out  on  the  East  River,  at  the  head 
of  King's  Road,  once  the  stately  establishment  of  Dr.  Gerardus  Beek- 
man,  is  made  peculiarly  venerable  for  the  grandeur  of  its  lofty  and 
aged  elms  and  oaks — its  rural  aspect  and  deep  shade  attracted  the 
notice  of  Irving's  pen.  It  was  used  too  as  the  selected  country  resi- 
dence of  General  Clinton  in  the  time  of  the  war. 

Robert  Murray's  farm  house  in  this  neighborhood,  should  be  vene- 
rable from  its  associations.  There  his  patriot  lady  entertained  Gen. 
Howe  and  his  stalf  with  refreshments,  after  their  landing  with  the 
army  at  "  Kips'  Bay,"  on  purpose  to  afford  Gen.  Putnam  time  to  lead 
off  his  troops  in  retreat  from  the  city,  which  he  effected.  She  was  a 
friend  and  the  mother  of  the  celebrated  Lindley  Murray. 

The  garden  of  "  Aunt  Katey,"  and  called  also  "  Katey  Mutz,"  was 
spoken  of  by  every  aged  person,  and  was  peculiarly  notable  as  a 
«  Mead  Garden."  It  was  called  by  some  "  Wind-Mill  Hill,"  in  re- 
ference to  its  earlier  use,  and  also  "  Gallows  Hill,"  by  others,  as  once 
a  place  of  execution.  Its  location  was  on  "  Janeway's  farm,"  about 
the  spot  where  is  now  the  Chatham  Theatre.  A  part  of  the  garden 
met  the  line  of  the  ancient  palisades.  The  whole  hill,  which  was 
large,  extended  from  Duane  down  to  Pearl  street,  along  the  line  of 
Chatham  street ; — near  her  place  was  once  "  the  City  Gate."  *'  Soft 
waffles  and  tea,"  were  the  luxuries  there,  in  which  some  of  the  gentry 
then  most  indulged. 

The  angle  whereon  the  Park  Theatre  now  stands,  belonged  origi 
nally  to  the  square  of  the  Park  ; — that  corner  of  the  square,  was  once 
called  "  the  Governor's  Garden,  (so  David  Grim  said)  in  reference  to 
such  an  intended  use  of  it. 

A  garden  of  note  was  kept  vis  a  vis  the  Park,  where  is  now  Peale's 
Museum,  and  named  "  Montague's  Garden."  There  the  "  Sons  of 
Liberty,"  sO  called,  convened. 

A  drawing  of  the  Collect  as  it  stood  about  year  1750,  done  by 
David  Grim,  which  I  saw  with  his  daughter  Mrs.  Myers,  places  a  gar- 
den at  the  west  side  of  the  little  Collect,  which  he  seperates  from  the 
big  or  main  Collect,  by  an  elevated  knoll,  like  an  island,  on  which  he 
marks  the  Magazine,  and  a  Negro  hanging  in  gibbets — between  this, 
knoll  and  the  big  Collect  is  drawn  a  marsh  ; — a  winding  road  is  mark- 
ed along  the  south  side  of  the  little  Collecfe, 


RE3IARKABLE  FACTS  AND  INCIDENTS. 

— ;  "  To  strike  our  marvelling  ryes, 

Or  move  our  special  wonder  I" 

In  the  year  1735,  animosity  ran  pretty  high,  between  the  military 
Governor  and  his  Council  on  the  one  part,  and  the  Mayor  and  Council 
on  the  other  part : — On  this  occasion,  Zangcr  the  printer,  took  the 
part  of  the  latter,  which  was  considered  "  vox  populi"  also ;  the  con- 
sequence was,  he  was  put  under  arrest  and  trial.  The  popular  excite- 
ment was  strong ;  and  feelings  extended  even  to  Philadelphia.  An- 
drew Hamilton  there  a  celebrated  lawyer  and  civilian,  volunteered  to 
aid  Zanger  and  went  on  to  New  York  and  there  effected  his  deliver- 
ance with  great  triumph.  Grateful  for  this,  the  corporation  of  the 
city,  voted  him  "  a  golden  snuff-box  with  many  classical  inscriptions," 
and  within,  they  enclosed  him  tho  Freedom  of  the  City."  The  box 
might  now  be  a  curiosity  to  see. 

I  was  shown  the  locality  of  an  incident  which  has  had  more  readers 
than  any  other  popular  tale  of  modern  times.  No.  24  on  Bowery  road, 
is  a  low  wooden  house,  the  same  from  which  the  Heroine  of  "  Char- 
lotte Temple"  was  seduced  by  a  British  officer.  The  facts  were  stated 
to  me  and  the  place  shown  by  Dr.  F. 

In  1769,  was  a  time  of  fierce  and  contentious  election  for  Assembly 
men  ; — the  poll  was  kept  open  for  four  'days  ; — no  expense  was  spared 
by  the  candidates ; — the  friends  of  each  party  kept  open  houses  in 
every  ward,  where  all  regaled  and  partook  to  the  full ! — all  citizens 
left  off  their  usual  business ; — there  were  only  151.5  electors,  of  which 
917  were  freeholders; — all  non-resident  voters  were  sought  for  earn- 
estly in  the  country  and  brought  to  the  city  polls.  John  Cruger,  James 
Delancey,  Jacob  Walton,  and  James  Jauncey,  were  the  successful  can- 
didates by  majorities,  generally  of  250  to  270  votes.  [This  and  the 
following  fact  respecting  election,  was  derived  from  MSS.  notes,  left 
by  D.  Grim  with  his  daughter.] 

On  an  occasion  of  election,  Mr.  Alexander  M'Dougal  (afterward? 
Gen.  M'D.)  was  the  author  of  an  Address  "to  the  Public,"  signed 
"  Legion,"  wherein  he  invoked  the  public  assembling  of  the  people 
"  at  the  fields,  near  Dela  Montagne's,  (which  is  in  modern  parlance  in 
the  Park,  near  Peale's  jMuseum)  "  in  order  effectually  to  avert  the  evil 
of  the  late  base,  inglorious  conduct  by  our  general  assembly,  who  in 
opposition  to  the  loud  and  general  call  of  their  constituents  and  of 


RemarJcaMe  Facts  and  Incidents. 


sound  policy,  and  to  the  glorious  struggle  for  our  birthrights,  have 
dared  to  vote  supplies  to  the  troops  without  a  shadow  of  pretext. 
Therefore,  let  every  friend  to  his  country,  then  appear." 

For  this  stirring  appeal,  M'Dougal  was  taken  under  arrest  by  the 
Sergeant  of  Arms  of  the  Assembly,  who  placed  him  in  the  county  goal 
While  he  was  there  confined,  forty-five  persons,  "  Sons  of  Liberty,'" 
(for  "  forty-five  "  was  a  talcsmanic  number  then  !)  went  to  visit  him  in 
prison,  to  salute  and  cheer  him.  Not  long,  after,  "  forty-five  "  female 
"  Sons  of  Liberty/'  headed  by  Mrs.  Malcomb,  (wife  of  the  General) 
made  their  visit  also  to  cheer  the  state  prisoner  and  to  applaud  "  his 
noble  conduct  in  the  cause  of  Liberty."  It  was  this  leaven  that  was 
carrying  on  the  fermentation  thus  early  for  the  revolution. 

The  gaining  of  the  election,  caused  the  New  Yorkers  in  1770,  to 
recede  from  their  non-importation  covenants,  and  the  Whigs  of  Phila- 
delphia, resolved  to  buy  nothing  of  them  "while  governed  by  a  faction !" 

The  winter  of  1755,  was  so  peculiarly  mild,  that  the  navigation  of 
the  North  River  kept  open  all  the  season.  Mr.  David  Grim  saw  from 
that  cause,  Sir  Peter  Hackett's  and  Col.  Dunbar's  regiment  go  up  to 
the  river  to  Albany  in  that  winter. 

The  winter  of  1780,  on  the  other  hand  was  the  extreme  of  cold, 
producing  "  the  hard  Vv'inter."  Two  great  cakes  of  ice  (says  D.  Grim) 
closed  the  North  River  from  Paulus  Hook  ferry  to  Courtlandt  street. 
Hundreds  then  crossed  daily.  Artillery,  and  sleds  of  provisions,  were 
readily  passed  over  :  and  even  heavy  artillery  was  borne  over  the  frozen- 
bridge,  to  Staten  Island. 

My  friend  James  Bogert,  then  a  small  lad,  was  with  his  uncle,  the 
first  persons  who  were  ever  known  to  have  crossed  the  East  River  on 
the  ice,  at  or  near  Hell  Gate. 

I  saw  in  the  Historical  Society  Library,  something  very  rare  to  be 
found  in  this  country : — they  are  sixteen  volumes  folio  of  MSS.- 
Journals  of  the  House  of  Commons,  in  Cromwell's  reign— say  from 
1650  to  1G75 — said  to  have  been  presented  tlirough  tbe  family  of  the 
late  Governor  Livingston.  [I  suspect  however,  ihey  came  through 
the  family  of  Governor  Williamson,  because  a  great  part  of  Col.  De 
Hart's  library  went  by  will  to  De  Hart  Williamson,  in  1801.]  Mrs.  D. 
Logan  had  before  told  me  of  having  seen  those  volumes  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Col.  De  Hart,  of  Morristown,  N,  J.  about  the  year  ISOO.  She 
could  not  learn  how  they  came  into  this  country,  although  she  found  it 

a 


5a 


Remarkable  Facts  and  Incidents. 


was  believed  they  were  abducted  by  some  of  CromwelPs  friends  (who 
went  out  first  to  New  England,  and  afterwards  settled  near  Morristown) 
to  prevent  their  use  against  those  who  might  remain  in  England. 
Their  ample  margins  had  been  partially  used  by  a  commanding  officer 
of  our  army  there,  when  paper  was  scarce,  to  write  his  orders ! 

Captain  Kidd  the  celebrated  pirate,  was  once  married  and  settled 
at  New  York.  As  the  trial  of  Kidd,  which  I  have  seen  and  preserved, 
states  on  the  authority  of  Col.  Livingston,  that  he  had  a  wife  and  child 
then  in  New  York,  my  inquiring  mind  has  sometimes,  looking  among 
the  multitude,  said, — Who  knows,  but  some  of  these  are  Kidd's  des- 
cendents  ?  I  observe  however,  that  the  name  is  not  in  the  New  Y^ork 
Directory  ; — Col.  Livingston  recomended  him  to  the  Crown  Officers, 
**  as  a  bold  and  honest  man."  He  had  probably  been  a  Privateersman 
aforetime  out  of  New  Y^ork,  as  we  find  the  records  there  stating  that 
he  there  paid  his  fees  (in  1691)  to  the  Governor  and  to  the  King. 
Another  record  also  states,  some  process  against  one  of  his  seaman, 
as  deserted  from  him. 

In  1695,  he  arrived  at  New  York,  from  England,  with  the  King's 
Commission,  and  soon  after  began  and  continued  his  piracies  for  four 
years.  In  1699,  he  again  arrived  within  the  Long  Island  Sound,  and 
made  several  deposits  on  the  shore  of  that  island.  Being  decoyed  to 
Boston,  he  was  arrested,  sent  to  England,  and  executed  at  Execution 
Dock,  on  the  23d  March,  1701. 

To  this  day,  it  is  the  traditionary  report,  that  the  family  of  J  

at  Oyster  Bay,  and  of  C  at  Huntington,  are  enriched  by  Kidd's 

spoils,  they  having  been  in  his  service,  hy  force  it  is  presumed,  and 
made  their  escape  at  Long  Island  at  Eaton-neck,  which  gave  them 
the  power  afterwards  of  attaining  "  the  deposits"  above  referred  to. 
Mr.  Benjamin  H — b — t  who  informed  me  of  this,  said  he  believed 

that  none  doubted  of  it.    Both  J   and  C  became 

strangely  rich. 

The  records  of  Philadelphia,  show  that  cotemporanious  with  this 
time,  "  one  Shelly,  from  New  Y^ork,  has  greatly  infested  our  naviga- 
tion with  Kidd's  pirates." 

In  1722,  a  Pirate  Brigantine  appeared  off  Long  Island,  commanded 
by  one  Lowe,  a  Bostonian— he  was  a  successful  fellow — had  captured 
Honduros.    About  same  time,  one  Evans  also  comes  on  the  coast. 

The  next  year,  two  pirates  looked  into  Perth  Amboy  and  New  York 
itself! 


Remarhable  Facts  and  Incidents. 


51 


Lowe  commanded  the  "Merry  Christmas,"  of  330  tons,  and  his  con- 
sort  was  commanded  by  one  Harris.  [Another  pirate,  Captain  Sprigg 
called  his  vessel  "  the  Bachelor's  Delight.]  They  bore  a  black  flag- 
while  oflT  the  Hook,  they  were  engaged  by  the  Grey  Hound  of  his 
majesty's  navy.  He  captured  the  least  of  them,  having  on  board  as 
prisoners  thirty-seven  whites  and  six  blacks ;  all  of  whom  were  tried 
and  executed  at  Rhode  Island,  and  all  bearing  our  common  English 
names.  Captain  Solgard  who  thus  conquered,  was  presented  with 
the  freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold  snuff  box.  Lowe  in  indignation, 
afterwards  became  cruel  to  Englishmen,  cutting  and  slitting  their 
noses.  He  had  on  board  during  the  fight,  as  the  prisoners  told, 
£150,000  in  silver  and  gold. 

The  gazettes  of  this  period,  teem  with  their  adventures.  In  that 
time,  the  public  mind  was  engrossed  with  the  dread  of  them  and  they 
had  accomplices  often  on  shore  to  aid  them  and  divide  the  spoil. 

In  1724,  William  Bradford  in  New  York,  publishes  the  general 
history  of  the  pirates,  including  two  women,  Mary  Reed  and  Anne 
Bonny.    [Much  we  should  like  now  to  see  that  work.] 


t)RESSES,  FURNITURE  AND  EQUIPAGE. 

Our  father's  homely  fare  discard, 
Still  studious  of  chang-o. 

Mr.  Abraham  Brower,  aged  75,  told  me  the  following  facts,  viz : 

Boots  were  rarely  worn— never  as  an  article  of  dress— chiefly  when 
seen,  they  were  worn  on  hostlers  and  sailors;— the  latter  always  wore 
great  petticoat  trowsers,  coming  only  to  the  knee  and  there  tying 
closer— common  people  wore  their  clothes  much  longer  than  now  ;— 
they  patched  their  clothes  much  and  long ;— a  garment  was  only  "  half 
worn  "  when  it  became  broken. 

He  never  saw  any  carpets  on  floors,  before  the  revohition—when 
first  introduced,  they  only  covered  the  floor  outside  of  the  chairs 
around  the  room ;— he  knew  of  persons  afraid  to  step  on  them  when 
they  first  saw  them  on  floors ;— some  dignified  families  always  had 
rome  carpets,  but  then  they  got  them  by  procuring  them  through  mer- 
chants as  a  special  importation  for  themselves. 

Mahogany  was  not  in  general  use,  and  at  most  it  was  displayed  in  a 
desk  and  tea  table :— the  latter  was  ahvays  round.  The  general  fiK*- 
niturc  was  made  of  "  billstead,"— i,  e.  maple. 

He  thinks  coaches  were  very  rare — can't  think  there  were  more 
than  four  or  five  of  them  men  were  deemed  rich  to  have  kept  even 
a  chaise  ; — the  Governor  had  one  coach  ; — Walton  had  a  coach ; — • 
Lieut.  Governor  Coldon  also  had  a  coach,  which  was  burnt  before  his 
window,  and  in  his  presence,  by  a  mob  ; — Mrs.  Alexander  had  one  and 
Robert  Murray,  another- — he  being  a  Quaker,  called  this  his  "Leathern 
•Conveniency,"  to  avoid  scandal ! 

The  first  umbrellas  he  ever  knew  worn,  w^as  by  the  British  ofliiccrs, 
and  were  deemed  effeminate  in  them.  Parasols  as  guards  from  the 
sun,  were  not  seen  at  all.  As  a  defence  from  rain,  the  men  wore 
*'  rain  coats,"  and  the  women,  "  camblets."  It  was  a  common  occur- 
rence to  sec  servants  running  in  every  direction  with  these  on  their 
arms,  to  churches,  if  an  unexpected  rain  came  up.  As  a  defence  in 
winter  from  storms,  the  men  wore  "  great  coats,"  daily.  It  was  a  ge- 
neral practice,  (as  much  so,  as  moving  on  the  first  of  May,)  to  put  on 
these  coats  on  the  tenth  of  November,  and  never  disuse  them  till  the 
tenth  of  May,  following  ! 

The  first  stoves  he  remembered,  came  into  use  in  his  time,  and 
were  all  open  inside,  in  one  oblong  square,  having  no  baking  oven 
thereto,  as  afterwards  invented  in  the  ten  plate  stoves. 


Dresses^  Furniture,  and  Equipage 


All  the  houses  were  sanded  on  the  floor  with  white  or  "  silver  sand,'^ 
m  figures  and  devices. 

A  beaver  hat,  entire  of  that  fur,  "  lasted  forever,"  and  cost  only  $5. 

Almost  every  article  of  the  table  and  kitchen,  as  now  used  in 
Queensware,  used  to  be  made  of  pewter. 

Gentlemen  of  the  true  Holland  race,  wore  very  long  body  coats,  the 
skirts  reaching  down  nearly  to  the  ancles,  with  long  and  broad  wastes, 
and  with  wide  and  stiff  skirts  ; — they  v/ore  long  flaps  to  their  vests ; — 
their  breeches  were  not  loose  and  flowing,  although  large,  but  were 
well  filled  up  with  interior  garments,  giving  name  to  the  thing  as  well 
as  to  families,  in  the  appellation  of  Mynheer  Ten  Brceck. 

A  female  child  of  six  years,  in  full  dignity  of  dress,  was  attired 
thus,  viz : — a  wjiite  cap  of  transparent  texture,  setting  smooth  and 
close  to  the  head ;  on  the  left  side  of  it,  was  a  white  ostrich  feather, 
flattened  iikc  a  band  close  to  the  cap — the  cap  had  a  narrow  edge  oi 
lar;e.  From  the  neck,  dropped  a  white  linen  cellar  with  laced  edges. 
A  gold  chain  hung  on  one  shoulder  only  and  under  the  opposite  arm. 
A  white  stomachger,  with  needle  ornaments,  and  the  edges  laced. 
The  body  braced  with  stays.  A  white  apron  very  full  at  the  top  and 
much  plaited,  and  edged  all  round  with  small  lace.  A  silk  gown  oi 
thick  material  of  dove  color,  very  full  plaited  and  giving  the  idea  of 
large  hips,  (indeed  all  the  Dutcli  women  affected  much  rotundity  in 
that  way !)  Broad  lace  was  sewn  close  to  the  gown  sleeves,  along  the 
length  of  the  seam  on  the  inside  curve  of  the  arms,  so  as  to  cover  the 
seam.  The  sleeve  cuffs  were  of  white  lace,  largo,  and  turned  up. 
This  picture  from  life,  was  given  by  an  artist  who  understood  the  detail. 

Mrs.  M' Adams,  a  venerable  lady  who  I  saw  at  the  age  of  ninety- 
three,  spoke  of  a  circumstance  occurring  in  New  York,  in  1757,  re- 
specting Gen.  Gates'  first  wife — she  was  generally  reported  as  riding 
abroad  in  mens''  clothes,  solely  from  the  circumstance  of  her  wearing 
a  riding  habit,  after  the  manner  of  English  ladies,  where  she  had  been 
born  and  educated.  It  proved  that  the  manners  of  the  times,  did  not 
admit  of  such  female  display,  and  perhaps  it  was  more  masculine  than 
we  now  see  them  on  ladies. 

The  price  of  fine  cloth  before  the  revolution,  was  always  "  a  guinea 
a  yard  and  all  men,  save  the  most  refined,  expected  after  wearing  it 
well  on  one  side,  to  have  it  vamped  up  new  as  a  "  turned  coat.''  Among 
common  men,  the  practice  was  universal.  Thus  showing  how  nwck 
hctler  then  cloths  were  than  now,  in  durability  . 


CHANGES  OF  PRICES. 


^'  For  the  money  cheap — and  quite  a  heap." 

Tt  is  curious  to  observe  the  changes  which  have  occurred  in  the 
course  of  years,  both  in  the  supply  of  common  articles  sold  in  the 
markets,  and  in  some  cases,  the  great  augmentation  of  prices : — For 
instance,  Mr.  Brower,  who  has  been  quite  a  chronicle  to  me,  in  many 
things,  has  told  me  such  facts  as  the  following,  viz  : — He  remembred 
well  Avhen  abundance  of  the  largest  "  Blue-Point"  oysters  could  be 
bought,  opened  to  your  hand,  for  2s.  a  hundred,  such  as  would  now 
bring  from  3  to  4  dollars !  Best  sea  bass  were  but  2d.  a  lb.,  now  at 
8d.!  Sheep-head  sold  at  9d.  to  Is.  3d.  a  piece,  and  will  now  bring 
2  dollars !  Rock  fish  were  plenty  at  Is.  a  piece,  for  good  ones.  Shad 
were  but  3d.  a  piece.  They  did  not  then  practice  the  planting  of 
oysters.    Lobsters  then  w^ere  not  brought  to  the  market. 

Mr.  Jacob  Tabelee  who  is  as  old  as  eighty-seven,  and  of  course  saw 
earlier  times  than  the  other,  has  told  me  sheep-head  used  to  be  sold 
at  6d.,  and  the  best  oysters  at  only  Is.  a  hundred — in  fact  they  did  not 
stop  to  count  them,  but  gave  them  in  that  proportion  and  rate  by  the 
bushel.  Rock  fish  were  sold  at  3d.  a  pound.  Butter  was  at  8  to  9d.  Beef 
by  the  quarter  in  the  winter,  was  at  3d.  a  pound,  and  by  the  piece  at 
4d.  Fowls  were  about  9d.  a  piece.  Wild  fowl  were  in  great  abund- 
ance. He  has  bought  twenty  pigeons  in  their  season,  for  Is.; — a 
goose  was  2s.    Oak  wood  was  abundant  at  2s.  the  load. 

In  1763,  the  market  price  of  provisions  was  established  by  law,  and 
published  in  the  Gazette— wondrous  cheap  they  were,  viz  :— A  cock 
turkey,  4s.;  a  hen  turkey,  2s.  6d.;  a  duck.  Is.;  a  quail,  l^d.;  a 
heath  hen.  Is.  3d.;  a  teal,  6d.;  a  wild  goose,  2s.;  a  brandt,  Is.  3d.; 
snipe.  Id.;  butter,  9d.;  sea  bass,  2d.;  oysters,  2s.  per  bushel;  sheep- 
head  and  sea  bass,  3  coppers  per  pound ;  lobsters,  6d.  per  pound ; 
inilk,  per  quart,  4  coppers ;  clams,  9d.  per  100 ;  cheese,  4^jd. 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


"Stories  of  Spectre's  dire  disturb'd  the  soul!" 

The  aged  men  have  told  me  that  fortunetellers  and  conjurors,  had  a 
name  and  an  occupation  among  the  credulous ; — Mr.  Brower  said  he 
remembered  some  himself.  Blackbeard's  and  Kidd's  money,  as  pi- 
rates, was  a  talk  understood  by  all.  He  knew  of  much  digging  for  it, 
with  spells  and  incantations,  at  Corlear's  Hook,  leaving  there  several 
pits  of  up-turned  ground.  Dreams  and  impressions  were  fruitful 
causes  of  stimulating  some  to  thus  "  try  their  fortune"  or  "their  luck!" 

There  was  a  strange  story,  the  facts  may  yet  be  recollected  by  some, 
of  "  the  Haunted  House,"  some  where  out  of  town — I  have  understood 
it  was  Delancey's. 

But  a  better  ascertained  case,  is  that  of  "  the  Screaching  Woman  ;" 
she  was  a  very  tall  figure  of  masculine  dimensions,  who  used  to  ap- 
pear in  flowing  mantle  of  pure  white  at  midnight,  and  roll  down 
Maiden  lane.  She  excited  great  consternation,  among  many.  A  Mr. 
Kimball,  an  honest  praying  man,  thought  he  had  no  occasion  to  fear, 
and  as  he  had  to  pass  that  way  home  one  night,  he  concluded  he  would 
go  forward  as  fearless  as  he  could ; — he  saw  nothing  in  his  walk  before 
him,  but  hearing  steps  fast  approaching  him  behind,  he  felt  the  force 
of  terror  before  he  turned  to  look ;  but  when  he  had  looked,  he  saw 
what  put  all  his  resolutions  to  flight, — a  tremendous  white  spectre  ! 
It  was  too  much  ! — he  ran,  or  flew,  with  all  his  might  till  he  reached 
his  own  house  by  Peck's  Slip  and  Pearl  street,  and  then,  not  to  lose 
time,  he  burst  open  his  door,  and  fell  down  for  a  time,  as  dead  !  He 
however  survived  and  always  deemed  it  something  preternatural.  The 
case  stood  thus :— When  one  Capt.  Willet  Taylor  of  the  British  navy, 
coveted  to  make  some  trial  of  his  courage  in  the  matter,  he  also 
paced  Maiden  lane  alone  at  midnight,  wrapped  like  Hamlet  in  his 
"  inky  cloak,"  with  oaken  staff*  beneath.  By  and  bye,  he  heard  the 
sprite  full-tilt  behind  him,  intending  to  pass  him,  but  being  prepared, 
he  dealt  out  such  a  passing  blow  as  made  "  the  bones  and  nerves  to 
feel,"— and  thus  exposed  a  crafty  man  bent  on  fun  and  mischief ' 


MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS. 

'•All  pay  contribution  to  the  store  ho  gleans  " 
The  liitlians,  in  the  year  1746,  Ccime  to  the  city  of  New  York,  in  p 
^frcat  body— say  several  hundreds,  to  hold  a  conference  or  treaty  with 
the  Governor.  Their  appearance  was  very  imposing ;  and  being  the 
last  time,  they  ever  appeared  there  for  such  purposes,— having  after- 
wards usually  met  the  Governor  at  i\lbany,  they  made  a  very  stroni' 
impression  on  the  beholdors.  David  Grim,  then  young,  who  saw  them, 
iias  left  some  MSS.  memoranda  respecting  them,  which  I  saw  in  the 
hands  of  his  daughter  Mrs.  Myers,  to  this  effect :— They  were  Oneidas 
and  Mowhawks;  they  came  from  Albany,  crowding  the  North  River 
%vith  their  canoes ;  a  great  sight  so  near  New  York ;  bringing  with 
them  their  squaws  and  papouses,  (children)  ;— they  encamped  on  thr. 
site  now  Hudson's  Square,  before  St.  John's  church ;  from  thence 
they  marched  in  solennn  train,  single  file,  down  Broadway  to  Fort 
George,  then  the  residence  of  the  British  Governor,  George  Clinton- 
As  they  marched,  they  displayed  numerous  scalps,  lifted  on  poles,  by 
v\'ay  of  flags,  or  trophies,  taken  from  their  French  and  Indian  enemies. 
What  a  spectacle  in  a  citi// 

In  return,  the  Governor  and  officers  of  the  colonial  government, 
with  many  citizens,  made  out  a  long  procession  to  the  Indian  campj. 
and  presented  them  there  the  usual  presents. 

The  Indians  were  remembered  by  Mr.  Bogert's  gTand-mother,  to  be 
often  encamped  at  "  Cow -foot  Hill,"  a  continuation  of  Pearl  street- 
there  tliey  made  and  sold  baskets. 

An  Indian  remains,  such  as  Iiis  bones  and  some  ornaments  were 
lately  found  in  digging  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Broad  streets. 


The  palisades  and  block  houses,  erected  in  1745,  were  well  remem- 
bered by  Mr.  David  Grim.  There  was  then  much  apprehension  from 
the  French  and  Indians ; — £8000  was  voted  to  defray  the  cost.  Mr. 
Grim  said  the  palisades  began  at  the  house  now  57  Cherry  street,  then 
the  last  house  out  on  the  East  River,  towards  Kip's  Bay ;  thence  they 
extended  direct  to  Wind-Mill  IIill,  [that  is,  near  the  present  Chatham 
Theatre]  and  thence  in  the  rear  of  the  Poor  House,  to  Dominie's  Hook, 
at  the  North  River. 

The  palisades  were  made  of  cedar  logs  of  fourteen  feet  long  and 
ten  inches  in  diameter  :-..vrerc  placed  in  a  trench  three  feet  deep. 


Miscellaneous  Facts* 


67 


with  loop-holes  all  along  musketry  ; — having  also  a  breast  work  of 
four  feet  high  and  four  feet  wide.  There  were  also  three  block  houses 
of  about  thirty  feet  square  and  ten  feet  high : — these  had  in  each  six 
port-holes  for  cannon ; — these  were  constructed  of  logs  of  eighteen 
inches  thick,  and  at  equi-distances  between  the  three  gates  of  the  city, 
they  being  placed  on  each  road  of  the  three  entrances  or  outlets ; — 
one  was  in  Pearl  street,  nearly  in  front  of  Banker  street — the  other 
in  rear  of  the  Poor  House ;  and  the  third,  lay  between  Church  and 
Chapel  streets. 

This  general  description  of  the  line  of  defence,  was  confirmed  to 
me  by  old  Mr.  Tabelee,  aged  eighty-seven.  He  described  one  gate 
as  across  Chatham  street,  close  to  Kate-Mutz's  garden,  on  Wind-Mill 
Hill.  The  block  house  on  the  North  River,  he  supposed  stood  about 
the  end  of  Reed  street. 

The  great  fires  of  '76  and  '78,  are  still  remembered  with  lively  sen- 
sibility by  the  old  inhabitants.  They  occurred  while  the  British  held 
possession  of  the  city,  and  excited  a  fear  at  the  time,  that  the  "  Amc- 
rican  Rebels"  had  purposed  to  oust  them,  by  their  own  sacrifices,  like 
another  Moscow.  It  is  however  believed  to  have  occurred  solely  from 
accident.  Mr.  Brower  thought  he  was  well  informed  by  a  Mr.  Robins, 
then  on  the  spot,  that  it  occurred  from  the  shavings  in  a  board  yard  on 
Whitehall  Slip ;  but  Mr.  David  Grim,  in  his  MSS.  notes,  with  his 
daughter,  is  very  minute  to  this  effect,  saying : — The  fire  began  on  the 
21st  of  September,  1776,  in  a  small  wooden  house  on  the  wharf,  near 
the  Whitehall  Slip,  then  occupied  by  women  of  ill  fame.  It  began 
late  at  night,  and  at  a  time  v/hen  but  few  of  the  inhabitants  were  left 
in  the  city,  by  reason  of  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  The  raging  ele- 
ment was  terrific  and  sublime — it  burned  up  Broadway  on  both  sides 
until  it  was  arrested  on  the  eastern  side,  by  Mr.  Harrison's  brick  house ; 
but  it  continued  to  rage  and  destroy  all  along  the  western  side  to  St. 
Paul's  church — thence  it  inclined  towards  the  North  River,  (the  wind 
having  changed  to  south-east)  until  it  run  out  at  the  water  edge,  a  little 
beyond  the  Bear  Market — say  at  the  present  Barclay  street. 

Trinity  church,  though  standing  alone,  was  fired  by  the  flakes  of 
fire  which  fell  on  its  steep  roof,  then  so  steep  that  none  could  stand 
upon  it,  to  put  out  the  falling  embers.  But  St.  Paul's  church  equnlly 
exposed,  was  saved,  by  allowing  citizens  to  stand  on  its  flatter  roof, 
and  wet  it  as  occasion  required. 
H 


58 


Miscellaneous  Facts* 


In  this  awful  conflagration,  four  hundred  and  nincty-thrce  houses 
were  consumed  ; — generally  in  that  day,  fhey  were  inferior  houses  to 
the  present,  and  many  of  them  were  of  wood. 

Several  of  the  inhabitants  were  restrained  from  going  out  to  assist 
at  night,  from  a  fear  they  might  be  arrested  as  suspicious  persons — in 
fact,  several  decent  citizens  were  sent  to  the  Provost  Guard,  for  ex- 
amination,  and  some  had  to  stay  there  two  or  three  days,  until  their 
loyalty  could  be  made  out.  In  one  case,  even  a  good  loyalist  and  a 
decent  man,  sometimes  too  much  inclined  "  to  taste  a  drop  too  much," 
(a  Mr.  White)  was  by  misapprehension  of  his  character,  and  in  the 
excitement  of  the  moment,  hung  up  on  a  sign  post,  at  the  corner  of 
Cherry  and  Roosevelt  streets.  Mr.  N.  Stuyvesant  told  me  he  saw  a 
man  hanging  on  his  own  sign  post — probably  the  same  person  before 
referred  to  by  Mr.  Grim. 

Mr.  Grim  has  given  to  the  Historical  Society,  a  topographical  map, 
showing  the  whole  line  of  conflagration. 

The  next  fire,  of  August,  1778,  occurred  on  Cruger's  wharf,  and 
burnt  about  fifty  houses; — on  that  occasion,  the  military  took  the  ex- 
clusive management,  not  suffering  the  citizen-firemen  to  control  the 
manner  of  its  extinguishment.  It  was  afterwards  ordered  by  the  Com- 
mander in  Chief,  that  the  military  should  help  but  not  ordevy  at  the 
suppression  of  fires. 


The  Slips,  so  called,  were  originally  openings  to  the  river,  into  which 
they  drove  their  carts  to  take  out  cord  wood  from  vessels.  The  cause 
of  their  several  names,  has  been  preserved  by  Mr.  D.  Grim. 

Whitehall  Slip,  took  its  name  from  Col.  Moore's  large  white  house, 
or  hall ; — it  adjoined  the  Slip,  and  was  usually  called  "  Whitehall." 

Coenties  Slip,  took  its  name  from  the  comhination  of  two  names — 
say  of  Coenract  and  Jane  Ten  Eycke — called  familiarly  Coen  and 
An  ties. 

The  Old  Slip,  was  so  called,  because  it  was  the  first  or  oldest  in 
the  city.  • 

Burling's  Slip,  was  so  called  after  a  respectable  family  of  that  name, 
living  once  at  the  corner  of  Smith's  Vly  (now  Pearl  street)  and  Golden 
Hill. 

Beekman's  Slip,  after  a  family  once  living  there. 
There  was  only  one  Slip  on  the  North  River  side,  which  was  at  the 
foot  of  Oswego  street,  now  called  Liberty  street. 


Miscellaneous  Facig. 


59 


Corlear's  Hook,  which  means  a  point,  was  originally  called  Neclitant 
by  the  Indians,  and  was  doubtless  from  its  locality  a  favorite  spot  with 
them.  There  Van  Corlear,  who  was  trumpeter  at  the  fort,  under  Van 
Twiller,  had  laid  out  his  little  farm,  which  he  sold  iu  1652,  to  William 
Beekman,  for  £750. 

The  Negro  Plot,  of  1741,  was  a  circumstance  of  great  terror  and 
excitement  in  its  day ; — aged  persons  have  still  very  lively  traditionary 
recollections  of  it.  One  old  man  showed  me  the  corner  house  in 
Broad  street,  near  the  river  then,  where  the  chief  plotters  conspired. 
Old  Mr.  Tabelee,  says,  new  alarms  were  frequent  after  the  above  was 
aubdued.  For  a  long  time  in  his  youth,  citizens  watched  every  night, 
and  most  people  went  abroad  with  lanthorns. 

Mr.  David  Grim,  in  his  MSS.  notices,  which  I  saw  with  his  daughter 
Mrs.  Myers,  says,  he  retained  a  perfect  idea  of  the  thing  as  it  was. 
He  saw  the  Negroes  chained  to  a  stake  and  burned  to  death.*  The 
place  was  in  a  valley,  between  Wind-Mill  Hill,  (Chathan  Theatre)  and 
Pot-Bakers'  Hill,  (now  Augusta  street,  about  its  centre)  and  in  mid- 
way of  Pearl  and  Barley  streets.  At  the  same  place,  they  continued 
their  executions  for  many  years  afterwards. 

John  Hustan,  a  white  man,  was  one  of  the  principals,  and  was  hung 
in  chains,  on  a  gibbet  at  the  south-east  point  of  H.  Rutger's  farm,  on 
the  East  River,  not  ten  yards  from  the  present  south-east  corner  of 
Cherry  and  Catharine  streets.  Since  then,  the  crowd  of  population 
there,  has  far  driven  off  his  "  affrighted  ghost,"  if  indeed  it  ever  kept 
its  vigils  there. 

Csesar,  a  black  man,  a  principal  of  the  Negroes,  was  also  hung  in 
chains,  on  a  gibbet,  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  old  powder  house  in 
Magazine  street.  Many  of  those  Negroes  were  burnt  and  hung,  and 
a  great  number  of  others  were  transported  to  other  countries. 

We  must  conceive,  that  on  so  dreadful  a  fear,  as  a  general  massa- 
cre, (for  guns  were  fired,  and  "  many  run  to  and  fro,")  the  whole  scenes 
of  arrest,  trial,  execution,  and  criminals  long  hung  in  chains,  must 
have  kept  up  a  continual  feverish  excitement,  disturbing  even  the  very 
dreams  when  sleeping !  Thank  God,  better  times  have  succeeded,, 
and  better  views  to  fellow  men. 

"  I  would  not  have  a  slave  to  tremble  when  I  wake, 
For  all  the  price  of  sinews  bought  and  sold !" 

*  The  Pennsylvania  Gazette  of  1741,  says,  one  of  those  hanged,  having  shown 
signs  of  life,  was  hung  up  again.  John  Ury,  a  ponish  prieat,  was  also  hung  as 
an  accomplice. 


00 


Miscellaneous  Facts. 


Roman  Catliolics,  and  the  cry  of  "  church  and  state  in  danger,"  was 
often  witnessed  on  election  and  other  occasions  in  New  York ; — also, 
"  high  and  low  church,"  were  resounded.  "  No  Bishop,"  could  be 
seen  in  capitals,  on  fences,  &;c.  A  man  did  not  dare  to  avow  himself 
a  Catholic— it  was  odious— a  chapel  then  would  have  been  pulled  down ! 
It  used  to  be  said,  "  John  Leary  goes  once  a  year  to  Philadelphia,  to 
get  absolution." 

Hallam's  company  of  players,  the  first  on  record,  played  at  New 
York,  in  1754. 

William  Bradford,  fifty  years  government  printer,  at  New  York, 
died  at  the  age  of  ninety-four,  in  the  year  1752  ;— he  had  been  printer 
a  few  years  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  time  of  the  primitive  settlement. 

In  1765,  two  women  named  Fuller  and  Knight,  were  placed  one 
hour  in  the  pillory,  for  keeping  baudy  houses.  If  this  were  again  en- 
forced, would  not  much  of  the  gaudy  livery  of  some  be  set  down ! 
'  Among  the  MSS.  of  the  Logan  family,  I  have  seen  some  notice  by 
James  Logan,  in  1702,  of  Gov.  Nansen,  at  New  York,  "  in  the  time  of 
the  distractions  of  that  place,"— saying  that  "  Gov.  Hamilton,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, had  in  a  friendly  manner  given  a  hint  not  to  be  too  rigorous, 
&;c.  in  the  case  of  Col.  Bayard,  P.  French,  T.  Wenham,  outlawed and 
scores  of  others  who  made  their  flight,  but  Nansen  drove  furiously,  and 
scurriously  and  resentfully  returned  his  answer,"  &;c. 

A  Gazette  of  1722,  hints  at  the  declining  whalery  along  Long  Island, 
saying,  "  There  are  but  four  whales  killed  on  Long  Island,  and  little 
oil  is  expected  from  thence." 

But  they  have  soon  after  a  generous  recompense — for  in  1724,  it  is 
announced  that  at  Point  Judith,  in  a  pond  there,  they  took  700,000 
bass,  loading  therewith  with  fifty  carts,  1000  horses  and  sundry  boats. 

In  the  old  Potters-field,  there  was  formerly  a  beautiful  epitaph  on  a 

patriot  stranger  from  England,  a  Mr.  Taylor,  who  came  to  join  our 

fortunes,  to  wit  :— 

Far  from  his  kindred  friends  and  Nature's  skies, 
Here  mpuldering  in  the  dust,  poor  Taylor  lies — 
Firm  was  his  mind  and  fraught  with  various  lore, 
And  his  warm  heart  was  never  cold  before. 
He  lov'd  his  country,  and  that  spot  of  earth 
Which  gave  a  Milton,  Hampden,  Bradshaw  birth — 
But  when  that  country — dead  to  all  but  gain, 
Bow'd  her  base  neck  and  hugg'd  the  oppressor's  chain, 
Lothing  the  abject  scene,  he  droop'd  and  sigh'd — 
CrosB'd  the  wild  waves,  and  here  untimely  died- 


Miscellaneous  Facts,  61 

About  the  year  1787,  there  was  much  excitement  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  against  the  whole  fraternity  of  doctors,  called  "  the  Doctor^;' 
Riot  it  was  caused  by  the  people's  lively  offence  at  some  cases  of 
bodies  procured  for  dissection.  The  mob  gathered  to  the  cry  of 
down  with  the  Doctors."  And  so  pushed  to  the  houses  of  some  of 
the  leading  practitioners— their  friends  got  before  them,  and  precipitate 
retreat  ensued.  In  the  sequel,  the  most  obnoxious  sought  their  refuge 
in  the  prison,  where  the  police  being  quelled,  there  were  some  violent 
assaults.  Their  friends  and  the  friends  of  the  peace,  ranged  on  the 
prison  side,  made  some  defence ;— Col.  Hamilton  stood  forward  as 
champion,  and  John  Jay  was  considerably  wounded  in  the  head,  from 
a  stone  thrown  from  the  mob— it  laid  him  up  some  time. 

A  singular  fact  occurred  a  few  years  ago,  on  the  occasion  of  the  ex- 
plosion of  Mr.  Sand's  Powder  Magazine,  at  Brooklyn.  An  aged  citi- 
zen, then  at  the  Bull's  Head  Inn,  at  the  Bowery,  wearing  a  broad 
brimmed  hat,  perceived  something  like  gun  powder  showering  upon 
it;— the  experiment  was  made,  on  what  he  gathered  thereon,  and  it 
ignited !  This  is  accounted  for  as  coming  from  the  explosion,  because 
the  wind  set  strong  in  that  direction,  and  it  is  ascertained  by  firing  a 
fusee  over  snow,  that  if  it  be  over-charged,  the  excess  of  grains  will 
be  found  resting  upon  the  snow. 


IISCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR  IN  NEW  YORK. 

 "  this  to  show 

I\Iankind,  tlie  wild  deformity  of  war  !" 

New  York  city  having  been  held  during  the  term  of  the  revolution, 
as  a  conquered  place,  and  also  as  the  chief  military  post  of  British 
rule,  it  becomes  matter  of  interest  and  curiosity  to  the  present  gene- 
ration, to  revive  and  contemplate  the  pictorial  images  of  those  scenes 
and  facts  which  our  fathers  witnessed  in  those  days  of  peril  and  deep 
emotion.    I  give  such  as  I  could  glean. 

The  spirit  of  opposition  in  us,  began  before  the  revolution  actually 
opened. 

The  first  Theatre  in  Bcekman  street,  (now  where  stands  the  house 
No.  26)  was  pulled  down,  on  a  night  of  entertainment  there,  by  the 
citizens,  generally  called  "  Liberty  Boys."  The  cause  arose  out  of 
some  offence  in  the  play,  which  was  cheered  by  the  British  officers 
present,  and  hissed  and  condemned  by  the  mass  of  the  people.  Soon 
after,  the  people  seized  upon  a  Press  Barge,  and  drew  it  through  the 
streets  to  the  park  commons,  where  they  burnt  it. 

After  the  war  had  commenced  and  New  York  was  expected  to  be 
captured,  almost  all  the  Whig  families,  who  could  sustain  the  expense, 
left  their  houses  and  homes,  to  seek  precarious  refuge  where  they 
could,  in  the  country.  On  the  other  hand,  after  the  city  was  possess- 
od  by  the  Britif-h,— all  the  Tory  families  who  felt  unsafe  in  the  country, 
made  their  escape  into  New  York,  for  British  protection.  Painfully, 
family  relations  were  broken families  as  well  as  the  rulers,  took 
different  sides,  and  "  Greek  met  Greek"  in  fierce  encounter ! 

Mr.  Brower  who  saw  the  British  force  land  in  Kip's  Bay,  as  he  stood 
on  the  Long  Island  heights,  says  it  was  the  most  imposing  sight  his 
eyes  ever  beheld.  The  army  crossed  the  East  River,  in  open  flat  boats, 
filled  with  soldiers  standing  erect ;  their  arms  all  glittering  in  the  sun 
beams.  They  approached  the  British  fleet  in  Kip's  Bay,  in  the  form 
of  a  crescent,  caused  by  the  force  of  the  tide  breaking  the  intended 
line,  of  boat  after  boat.  They  all  closed  up  in  the  rear  of  the  fleet, 
when  all  the  vessels  opened  a  heavy  canonade. 

I  shall  herein  endeavor  to  mark  the  localities  of  position  occupied 
by  the  British,  especially  of  residences  of  distinguished  ofiicers,  and 
also  of  those  suflcring  prison-houses  and  hospitals  where  our  poor 
countrymen  sighed  over  their  own  and  their  country's  wo. 


Incidents  of  the  War  in  New  YorJc. 


63 


All  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  New  York,  were  used  for  military 
purposes  in  some  form  or  other.  I  suspect  they  were  deemed  more 
whiggish  in  general  than  some  of  the  other  churches.  The  clergyman 
of  that  order,  were  in  general  throughout  the  war — said  to  be  zealous 
to  promote  the  cause  of  the  revolution.  The  Methodists  on  the  con- 
trary, then  few  in  number,  were  deemed  loyalists,  chiefly  from  the 
known  loyalism  of  their  founder,  Mr.  Wesley.  Perhaps  to  this  cause 
it  was,  that  the  Society  in  John  street,  enjoyed  so  much  indulgence  as 
to  occupy  their  church  for  Sunday  night  service,  while  the  Hessians 
had  it  in  the  morning  service  for  their  own  chaplains  and  people. 

The  British  troops  were  quartered  in  any  empty  houses  of  the 
Whigs,  which  might  be  found.  Wherever  men  were  billetted,  they 
marked  it. 

The  Middle  Dutch  church  in  Nassau  street,  was  used  to  imprison 
3000  Americans.  The  pews  were  all  gutted  out  and  used  as  fuel- 
Afterwards  they  used  it  for  the  British  cavalry,  wherein  they  exercised 
their  men,  as  a  riding  school ;  making  them  leap  over  raised  wind* 
lasses.  At  the  same  place,  they  often  picketed  their  men,  as  a  pun- 
ishment, making  them  bear  their  weight  on  their  toe,  on  a  sharp  goad. 
At  the  same  place,  while  the  prisoners  remained  there,  Mr.  Andrew 
Mercein  told  me  he  used  to  see  the  "  Dead  Cart"  come  every  morn- 
ing, to  bear  off  six  or  eight  of  the  dead. 

The  old  sugar  house,  which  also  adjoined  to  this  church,  was  filled 
with  the  prisoners  taken  at  Long  Island ; — there  they  suffered  much, 
they  being  kept  in  an  almost  starved  condition. 

This  starving  proceeded  from  different  motives ; — they  wished  to 
break  the  spirit  of  the  prisoners,  and  to  cause  their  desertion ;  or  to 
make  the  war  unwelcome  to  their  friends  at  home.  On  some  occasions, 
as  I  shall  herein  show,  the  British  themselves  were  pinched  for  sup- 
plies— and  on  other  occasions,  the  commissaries  had  their  own  gain  to 
answer,  by  withholding  what  they  could  from  the  prisoners.  I  could 
not  find,  on  inquiry,  that  Americans  in  New  York,  were  allowed  to 
help  their  countrymen,  unless  by  stealth.  I  was  told  by  eye-witnesses 
of  cases,  where  the  wounded  came  crawling  to  the  openings  in  the 
wall,  and  begging  only  for  one  cup  of  water,  and  could  not  be  in- 
dulged, the  sentinels  saying,  "  we  are  sorry  too,  but  our  orders  have 
been,  '  suffer  no  communication  in  the  absence  of  your  officer.' " 

The  North  Dutch  church  in  William  street,  was  entirely  gutted  of 
its  pews,  and  made  to  hold  2000  prisoners. 


61 


Incidents  of  the  War  in  ]Vcw  York* 


The  Quaker  meetinc^  in  Pearl  street,  was  covertcd  into  an  Hospital. 
The  old  French  church  was  used  as  a  prison. 

Mr.  Thomas  Swords  told  me  they  used  to  bury  the  prisoners  on  the 
mount,  then  on  corner  of  Grace  and  Lumber  streets.  It  was  an  old 
redoubt. 

Cunningham  was  infamous  for  his  cruelty  to  the  prisoners,  even  de- 
priving them  of  life,  it  is  said,  for  the  sake  of  cheating  his  King  and 
country,  by  continuing  for  a  time  to  draw  their  nominal  rations !  The 
prisoners  at  the  Provost,  (the  present  Debtors'  Prison  in  the  Park)  were 
chiefly  under  his  severity,  (my  father  among  the  number,  for  a  time.) 
It  was  said  he  was  only  restrained  from  putting  them  to  death,  (five  or 
six  of  them  of  a  night,  back  of  the  prison-yard,  where  was  also  their 
graves)  by  the  distress  of  certain  women  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
pained  by  the  cries  for  mercy  which  they  heard,  went  to  the  comman- 
der-in-chief, and  made  the  case  known,  with  entreaties  to  spare  their 
lives  in  future.  This  unfeeling  wretch,  it  is  said,  came  afterwards  to 
an  ignominious  end,  being  executed  in  England,  as  was  published  in 
Hall  and  Sellers'  paper  in  Philadelphia.  It  was  there  said,  that  it 
came  out  on  the  trial,  that  he  boasted  of  having  killed  more  of  the 
King's  enemies  by  the  use  of  his  own  means,  than  had  been  eflected 
by  the  King's  Arms ! — he  having,  as  it  was  there  stated,  used  a  pre- 
paration of  arsenic  in  their  flour ! 

Loring,  another  commissary  of  prisoners,  was  quite  another  man, 
and  had  a  pretty  good  name.    Mr.  Lennox,  the  other,  being  now  a  re-  • 
aident  of  Ncav  York,  I  forbear  any  remarks. 

There  was  much  robbing  in  the  city,  by  the  soldiery  at  times.  In 
this.  Lord  Rawdon's  corps  and  the  King's  guards,  were  said  to  have 
been  pre-eminent. 

The  British  cast  up  a  line  of  entrenchments,  quite  across  from  Cor- 
lear's  Hook  to  Bunker's  Hill,  on  the  Bowery  road,  and  placed  gates 
across  the  road  there.  The  Hessians  under  Knyphausen,  were  en- 
camped on  a  mount  not  far  from  Corlear's  Hook. 

Mr.  Andrew  MerCein  who  was  present  in  New  York,  when  most  of 
the  above  mentioned  things  accurred,  has  told  me  several  facts.  He 
was  an  apprentice,  with  a  baker  who  made  bread  for  the  army,  and 
states,  that  there  was  a  time  when  provisions  even  to  their  OAvn  sol- 
diery, was  very  limitted.  For  instance,  on  the  occasion  of  the  cork 
provision  fleet  over  staying  their  time,  he  has  dealt  out  six  penny 
loaves,  as  fast  as  he  could  hand  them,  for  "  a  hard  half  dollar  a  piece 


Incidents  of  the  War  in  New  ForA'. 


6.^ 


The  baker  then  gave  $20  a  cwt.  for  his  flour.  They  had  to  make  oat- 
meal bread  for  the  navy.  Often  he  ha?  seen  Ts.  a  pound  given  for 
butter,  when  before  the  war,  it  was  but  9d. 

When  Cornwallis  was  in  difficulties  at  York  town,  and  it  becamG 
necessary  to  send  him  out  all  possible  help,  they  took  the  citizens  by 
constraint  and  enrolled  them  as  a  militia.  In  this  service,  Mr.  Mer- 
cein  was  also  compelled,  and  had  to  take  his  turns  at  the  fort.  There 
they  mounted  guard,  &;c.  in  military  attire,  just  lent  to  them  for  the 
time,  and  required  to  be  returned.  The  non-commisbioned  oliicers 
were  generally  chosen  as  Tories,  but  often  without  that  condition. 
Mr.  Mercein's  Sergeant,  was  whiggish  enough  to  have  surrendered, 
if  he  had  had  the  proper  chance !  There  were  some  independant 
companies  of  Tories  there. 

It  was  really  an  affecting  sight  to  see  the  operations  of  the  final  de- 
parture of  all  the  King's  embarkation  ; — ihe  Royal  band  beat  a  f^ire- 
well  march.  Then  to  see  so  many  of  our  countrymen  with  their  v/o- 
men  and  children,  leaving  the  lands  of  their  fathers,  because  they  took 
the  King's  side — going  thence  to  the  bleak  and  barren  soil  of  Nova 
Scotia,  was  at  least  affecting  to  them ! — their  hearts  said,  "  my  countryl 
with  all  thy  faults,  I  love  thee  still 

In  contrast  to  this,  there  followed  the  entry  of  our  tattered  and 

weather-beaten  troops,  followed  by  all  the  citizens  in  regular  platoons. 
"  Oh !  one  day  of  such  a  welcome  sig-ht, 
Were  worth  a  whole  eternity  of  lesser  years  !'* 

Then  crowded  home,  to  their  own  city,  all  those  who  had  been  abroad 

as  exiles  from  British  rule — fondly  cherishing  in  their  hearts, 

TJiis  is  my  own  my  native  land  I" 
The  German  troops,  says  Mr.  Mercein,  were  peculiarly  desirous  to  de- 
sert, so  as  to  remain  in  our  country,  and  hid  themselves  in  every  family, 
where  they  could  secure  a  friend  to  help  their  escape. 

It  is  estimated  that  11,000  of  our  Americans  were  interred  from  the 
British  prisons,  at  the  Wallabout,  the  place  of  the  present  Navy  Yard. 
In  cutting  down  the  hill,  for  the  Navy  Yard,  they  took  up,  sixteen  or 
eighteen  year,^  ago,  full  thirteen  large  boxes  of  human  bones,  which 
being  borne  on  trucks,  under  mourning  palls,  were  carried  in  pro- 
cession to  Jackson  street  on  Brooklyn  height,  and  interred  in  a  cliar- 
nel  house  constructed  for  the  occasion,  beneath  three  drooping  willows. 
There  rest  the  bones  of  my  grand -father,  borne  from  the  Jersey  Prison 

Ship,  three  days  after  his  arrival. 

"Those  prison  ships,  where  pain  and  penance  dwell. 
Where  death  in  tenfold  vengeance  holdi;  his  reign. 
And  injur'd  ghosts,  then  uiiuvcng'd  complain  !" 


6^  Incidents  of  the  War  in  New  York, 

Two  of  the  burnt  hulks  of  tliose  ships,  still  remain  sunken,  near  the 
Navy  Yard— one  in  the  dock,  and  one  (the  Good  Hope)  near  Pindar's 
Island. 

"  Rotten  and  old,  e'er  filled  with  sighs  and  groans !" 

The  word  Wallabout,  is  said  to  mean,  as  its  location  signifies,  a 
bend  in  the  shore. 

The  sick  were  changed  from  the  Jersey  Prison  Ship,  after  Washing 
ton's  interference, — It  did  good. 

Our  ideas  of  prisons  and  prisoners,  having  ourselves  been  never 
confined,  are  too  vague  and  undefined  in  reading  of  any  given  mass  of 
suffering  men.  To  enter  into  conception  and  sympathy  with  the  sub- 
ject, we  must  individualize  our  ideas  by  singling  out  a  single  captive — 
hear  him  talk  over  his  former  friends  and  happy  home — see  him  pen- 
nyless,  naked,  friendless,  in  pain  and  sickness,  hopeless,  sighing  for 
home — yet  wishing  to  end  his  griefs  in  dying  !  with  Sterne's  pathos — 
see  him  watch  his  weary  days  and  nights — see  the  iron  enter  his  soui 
— see  him  dead — then  whelmed  in  pits,  neglected  and  forgotten.  Such 
was  the  tales,  if  told,  of  11,000  of  our  countrymen  at  New  York ! 

Our  officers  had  better  fare— they  had  money  or  credit— could  look 
about  and  provide  for  themselves— could  contrive  to  make  themselves 
half  gay  and  sportive  occasionally.  Capt.  Graydon,  who  has  left  us 
amusing  and  instructive  memoirs  of  sixty  years  of  his  observing  life, 
having  been  among  the  officers  captured  at  Fort  Washington,  and  held 
prisoners  in  New  York,  has  left  us  many  instructive  pages  concerning 
the  incidents  at  New  York,  while  held  by  the  British,  which  ought  to 
be  read  by  all  those  who  can  feel  any  interest  in  such  domestic  history 
as  I  have  herein  endeavored  to  preserve ;— I  claim  him  as  a  kindred 
spirit,  and  am  gratified  to  see  so  old  a  man  set  down  the  recollections 
of  his  life,  with  so  much  good  feeling  and  pleasant  anecdote.  Agree- 
able  old  age  is  always  grateful  and  companionable. 

When  we  look  back  and  consider  the  names  of  British  general 
who  were  once  our  terror ; — think  of  the  schemes  and  inventions  on 
which  they  must  have  been  closeted  within  the  walls  of  houses  still  in 
New  York — all  intended  for  our  destruction ; — then  consider  how  cold 
and  noiseless  they  now  all  rest ; — their  latter  fame  unknown — none  of 
us  knowing  their  final  history ; — how  very  small  "  the  triumphs  of  the 
hour  appear! — even  as  poor  players  "who  had  strutted  and  played 
life's  poor  part!"  Has  no  body  any  after  history  of  any  of  them?—* 
Does  Dodsley's  Annual  Register  give  nothing  of  their  closing  life  ^. 


Incidents  of  the  War  in  New  Yorh 


67 


We  know  from  the  late  Judge  Peters,  who  was  in  counsel  with 
Cren.  Washington,  upon  the  occasion,  that  it  was  designed  to  attack 
the  British  in  New  York,  even  at  that  time  when  it  became  suddenly 
necessary  to  abandon  that  projcct.and  to  turn  the  designs  to  York  town, 
where  it  eventually  terminated  in  the  capture  of  Cornwallis'  army, 
and  afterwards  led  to  the  peace.  It  was  the  withdrawal  of  De  Grasse'» 
naval  support  that  compelled  the  change  of  purpose — De  Grasse  saying 
he  found  the  bay  of  New  York,  too  dangerous  for  his  heavy  ships,  and 
that  he  must  seek  the  Chesapeake.  To  a  mind  fond  of  the  marvellous^ 
it  may  appear  that  the  page  of  destiny  had  inscribed  York  as  the  name 
of  occult  omen.  For  whether  York  betokened  the  Duke's  name  and 
rule  of  former  years,  or  the  head  of  British  power  in  the  revolutionary 
struggle,  it  became  the  name  by  which  to  close  the  career  of  British 
empire,  and  to  found  under  American  auspices,  the  metropolitan  of 
OUT  ocean  cities ! 


RESIDENCES  OF  BRITISH  OFFICERS. 

"  In  all  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  war  I" 
As  it  aids  our  coiiceptions  of  the  past,  to  be  able  lo  identify  the  loca- 
lities, where  men  conspicuous  in  oin  annals  of  the  revoluticn,  chvelt. 
I  set  down  the  mansions  wliich  some  of  them  occupied. 
*  General  Gates,  before  the  revolution,  dwelt  in  the  large  house,  now 
Young's  cabinet  rooms.  No.  09  Broad  street.  There  Gates  had  that 
house  splendidly  illuminated  in  1762,  tor  the  news  of  the  Stamp  Act 
repealed,  probably  as  a  measure  to  conciliate  the  people,  in  the  same 
house,  once  dwelt  Gen.  Alexander— afterwards,  our  Lord  Stirling. 

Governor  Tryon,  lived,  after  his  residence  in  the  fort  was  burnt,  in 
the  house,  now  the  Bank  of  New  York,  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and 
William  streets. 

Gen.  Robinson,  commandant  of  the  city,  lived  at  one  time  in  Wil- 
liam street,  near  to  John  street.  At  another  time,  he  lived  in  Hano- 
ver Square,  now  the  premises  of  Peter  Remson,  &;  Co.  No.  109.  He 
was  an  aged  man  of  seventy-five  years  of  age. 

Col.  Birch,  was  also  commandant  of  the  city  a  long  while,  and  lived 
m  Verplank's  house,  the  same  site  on  which  the  present  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  in  Wall  street,  stands.  The  residence  of  Admiral 
Digby,  and  indeed  of  all  naval  officers  of  distinction  arriving  on  the 
station,  was  Beekman's  house,  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Sloate 
Lane  and  Hanover  Square.  There  dwelt,  under  the  guardianship  of 
cidmiral  Digly,  Prince  William  Henry,  the  i)re3ent  Duke  of  Clarence, 
probably  destined  to  be  King  of  England.  What  associations  of  ideas 
must  it  produce,  if  he  attains  the  honors  of  a  throne  !  He  who  seen 
in  the  common  garb  of  a  midshipman's  "  roundabout,"  in  New  York, 
lias  been  seen  easy  of  access,  trying  to  join  the  boys  of  New  York,  in 
skating  on  the  Kolck  Pond  :  then  a  knocked-kneed  lad,  offering  on  one 
occasion,  on  board  his  ship  in  New  York  harbour,  to  lay  aside  his  star, 
and  box-out  a  controversey  with  a  fellow  midshipman.  Could  he 
again  see  New  York,  he  would  not  know  the  rival  London  ! 

Gen.  H.  Clinton  had  his  town  residence  at  N.  Prime's  house,  (first 
built  for  Capt.  Kenendy)  at  No.  1,  Broadway,  on  the  Battery.  His 
country  house  was  then  Dr.  G.  Beekman's,  on  the  East  River,  now 
Bayard's  place. 

Sir  Guy  Carlton,  also  occupied  the  house  of  N.  Prime  ;  and  for  his 
country  residence,  the  house  at  Richmond  Hill,  on  Greenwich  street ; 
afterwards,  the  residence  of  Col.  A.  Burr,  (the  same  house  is  now 
lowered  22  feet !)    Lord  Dorchester  also  dwelt  at  the  latter  house* 


Residences  of  British  Officers.  69 

Gen.  Howe  dwelt  in  N.  Prime's  house,  at  south  end  of  Broadway, 
next  to  the  Battery. 

Gen.  Knypliausen,  commander  of  the  Germans,  dwelt  in  the  large 
}iouse,  even  now  grand  in  exterior  ornaments,  d:c.  in  Wall  street,  where 
is  now  the  Insurance  Co.,  next  door  eastward  from  the  New  York  Bank. 

Admiral  Rodney,  when  in  New  York,  occupied  for  his  short  stay, 
the  house  (double  front)  of  Robert  Bowne,  No.  256  Pearl  street. 

Gov.  George  Clinton  had  his  dwelling  in  the  present  "  Redmond's 
Hotel,"  No.  178  Pearl  ^treet.  It  was  splendid  in  its  day,  of  Dutch 
construction  ;— it  has  a  front  of  five  windows  and  six  dormer  windows  ; 
—its  gardens  at  first  extended  through  to  Water  street,  which  was 
then  into  the  liver. 

All  along  the  front  of  Trinity  church  ground,  (called  "  the  English 
Church,"  formerly)  was  the  place  of  the  military  parade,  called  by  the 
British  "  the  Mail."  There  the  military  band  playd— on  the  o})posite 
side,  assembled  the  spectators  of  both  sexes. 

I  have  taken  unusual  pains  to  ascertain  the  residence  and  conduct 
of  the  traitor  General  Arnold— I  found  such  variety  and  opposition  in 
opinion,  as  to  incline  me  to  believe  there  was  some  intentional  obscu- 
rity in  the  residence.  The  weight  of  evidence  however  desides  me  to 
believe  he  dwelt  at  two  places  in  New  York ;  and  that  his  chief  resi- 
dence, as  a  seperate  establishment,  was  at  the  west  side  of  Broadway, 
and  the  third  house  from  the  river.  There  Rammey,  said  he  dwelt 
and  had  one  sentinel  at  his  door,  whilst  Sir  H.  Clinton,  at  Prime's 
house  at  the  corner,  had  two.  John  Pintard,  Esq.  told  me  of  his  be- 
ing present  at  Hanover  Square,  when  his  attention  w-as  called  by  whis- 
pers, "  not  loud  but  deep,"  of  see  the  traitor-general !"  He  saw  it 
was  Arnold,  coming  under  some  charge  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  at  the 
Battery,  to  General  Robertson,  then  understood  by  Pintard,  to  be  the 
commandant  of  the  city.  It  was  said,  that  after  the  usual  salutations 
with  Robertson,  he  requested  his  aid  Capt.  Murray,  a  dapper  little  ofli- 
cer,  to  show  Gen.  Arnold,  the  civilities  and  rarities  of  the  place.  The 
spirited  Captain  strutted  off  alone,  saying,  "  Sir,  his  majesty  never 
honored  me  with  his  commission  to  become  the  gentleman  usher  to  a 
traitor !"  7'here  seems  almost  too  much  point  in  the  story,  to  "be 
strictly  true  ;  but  it  was  the  popular  tale  of  the  day,  among  the  Whigs 
incog.  Mr.  L.  C.  Ilamersley  told  me  he  saw  Arnold  at  Verplank's 
house,  in  Wall  street,  where  is  now  the  Bank  of  the  United  Siates ; 
and  then  he  thought  Arnold  lived  there  with  Colonel  Birch.  Robert 
i/cnnox,  Esq.  thought  he  lived  with  Admiral  Digby. 


ANCIENT  EDIFICES. 

Tho  venerable  pile,  by  innovation  razed! 

The  "Walton  House,  No.  324  Pearl  street,  was  deemed  the  nonpareil 
of  the  city  in  1762,  when  seen  by  my  mother,  "greatly  illuminated,  ia 
celebration  of  the  Stamp  Act  repealed.  It  has  even  now  an  air  of 
ancient  stately  grandeur.  It  has  five  windows  in  front ;— constructed 
of  yellow  Holland  brick  ;— has  a  double  pitched  roof  covered  with  tiles 
and  a  double  course  of  balustrades  thereon.  Formerly,  its  garden  ex- 
tended down  to  the  river.  The  family  is  probably  descended  of  the 
Walton,  who  a  century  ago,  gave  the  name  of  "  Walton's  Ship  Yards" 
at  the  same  place.  William  Walton,  who  was  one  of  the  Council,  and 
the  first  owner  of  the  above  house,  made  his  wealth  by  some  prefer- 
ences in  the  trade  among  the  Spaniards  of  South  America  and  Cuba. 

There  are  at  present  but  four  or  five  houses  remaining  of  the  an- 
cient Dutch  construction,  having  "  pediment  walls,"  surmounting  the 
roof  in  front  and  giving  their  gable  ends  to  the  street. 

Last  year  they  took  down  one  of  those  houses  in  fine  preservation 
and  dignity  of  appearance,  at  the  corner  of  Pearl  street  and  the  old 
Slip — it  was  marked  1698.    Another  on  the  north-east  side,  of  Co- 
cnties  Slip,  was  also  taken  down  last  year,  marked  1701.    The  oppo-- 
site  corner  had  another,  marked  1689. 

In  Broad  street,  is  one  of  those  houses  marked  1698,  occupied  by 
Ferris,  &  Co.  No.  41.  Another  appearing  equally  old,  but  of  lower 
height,  stands  at  the  north-east  corner  of  Broad  and  Beaver  streets. 
These  with  the  one  now  standing.  No.  76  Pearl  street,  near  Coenties 
Slip,  is  I  think  the  only  ones  now  remaining  in  New  York.  The  passion 
for  novelty  "  studious  of  change,"  is  levelling  all  the  remains  of  an- 
tiquity ! 

The  ancient  "  Stadt  Huys,"  formed  of  stone,  stood  originally  at  the 
head  of  Coenties  Slip,  facing  on  Pearl  street,  towards  the  East  River, 
is  now  occupied  by  the  houses  No.  71  and  73.  It  was  built  very  early 
in  the  Dutch  dynasty,  1642,  and  became  so  weakened  and  impaired  in 
half  a  century  afterwards,  as  to  be  recommended  by  the  court  sitting 
there,  to  be  sold  out  and  another  to  be  constructed.  The  minutes  of 
common  council,  which  I  have  seen  in  General  Morton's  ofllice,  are  to 
his  effect: — In  1696,  it  is  ordered  that  inquiries  be  made,  how  the 
City  Hall,"  and  the  land  under  the  trees  by  Mr.  Burgher's  path,  would 
sell?"  In  1698,  they  agree  to  build  the    new  City  Hall,"  by  the  head 


Ancient  Edifices.  71 

of  Broad  street,  for  £3000,  (the  same  afterwards  the  Congress  Hall, 
on  corner  of  Wall  street.)  In  1699,  they  sell  the  old  City  Hall,  ta 
John  Rodman,  for  £920,  reserving  only  "  the  bell,  the  King's  Arms, 
and  iron  works,  (fetters,  &,c.)  belonging  to  the  prison,"  and  granting 
leave  also,  to  allow  the  cage,  pillory,  and  stocks  before  the  same,  to  bo 
removed  within  one  year;  and  the  prisoners  in  said  jail,  within  the 
said  City  Hall,  to  remain  one  month."  In  front  of  all  these  on  the 
river  side,  was  placed  the  Rondeal,  or  Half-Moon  Fort,  where  it  pro- 
bably assisted  the  party  sheltered  in  the  City  Hall,  while  the  civil  war 
prevailed.  All  these  citations  sufficiently  show,  that  here  was  really  a 
City  Hall  as  a  Court  of  Justice,  with  the  prison  combined.  All  the 
tradition  of  the  old  men,  has  been,  that  "  there  was  once  the  old  jail." 
We  know  from  Dutch  records  that  there  was  an  earlier  prison  than 
this  once  within  the  fort— say  in  1640;— we  know41so,  that  this  Stadt 
Huys  was  originally  constructed  by  Governor  Keift,  for  a  Stadt  Herberg, 
or  City  Tavern.  Soon  after,  it  was  both  the  Campany's  Tavern,  and 
City  Hall,  at  same  time.  Here  the  partizans  in  the  civil  war,  held 
their  fortress,  and  at  them,  balls  were  fired  from  the  fort.  In  time  the 
numerous  persons  crowding  the  courts  held  in  it,  weakened  the  build- 
ing and  made  it  needful  to  take  it  down  in  1700.  It  would  seem  as 
it  "was  old  and  run  to  decay,"  a  second  building  had  supplied  its 
place  in  1701,  as  that  was  the  mark,  which  that  house,  taken  down 
last  year,  then  bore. 

The  City  Hall  at  the  head  of  Broad  street,  fronting  on  Wall  street, 
stood  out  beyond  the  pavement  in  that  street,  and  must  have  been 
finished  in  1700.  It  was  also  the  prison,  having  before  it  in  the  Broad 
street,  a  whipping  post,  pillory,  &;c.  There  was  also  held  the  Provin- 
cial Assembly,  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  Mayor  and  Admiralty 
Courts — it  was  also  the  place  of  election ; — it  was  finally,  altered  to 
''suit  the  congress,  and  the  prisoners  removed  to  the  then  "  new  jail  in 
the  Park," — but  the  congress  removing  to  Philadelphia,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Robert  Morris,  as  the  New  Yorkers  set  forth  in  a  caricature, 
it  was  again  altered  to  receive  the  courts  and  the  state  assembly; — 
finally,  all  was  removed  to  the  present  superb  City  Hall  of  "  everlast- 
ing marble." 

It  is  curious  respecting  the  City  Hall,  that  after  it  was  built,  it 
is  on  record,  it  was  first  ordered  that  it  be  embellished  with  the  Arms 
of  the  King  and  the  Earl  of  Bellermont,  and  afterwards  the  corpora- 
tion  order,  that  the  latter  should  be  taken  down  and  broken  !  What 
^meant  that  indignity!  just  at  his  death  too,  in  1701. 


>2  Ancient  Edifices. 

The  iirst  theatre  bcin;^  destroyed  in  Beekman  street,  a  ptecond  the- 
utre  was  established  in  John  street,  between  Nassau  and  Broadway. 
There  British  oflicers  performed  sometimes  for  their  amusement. 
Bonaparte's  activity,  and  vigour  of  mind,  would  have  found  them 
more  characteristic  and  busy  emi)loy !  It  was  well  for  us,  the  army 
had  such  material ! 

There  were  two  ancient  custom  houses  :  one  stood  at  the  head  of 
I\[ill  street — a  confined  little  place ; — a  more  respectable  one»  is  the 
same  now  a  grocery  story  on  the  north-west  corner  of  Moore  and  Front 
streets.  Mr.  Ebbets,  aged  seventy-six,  remembered  it  used  as  such. 
At  same  time,  the  Bason  Avas  open  all  along  Moore  street.  The  pre- 
sent N.  \V.  Stuyvesant  told  me  this  was  the  same  building  once 
the  "Stuyvesant  Huys,"  of  his  celebrated  ancestor.  In  front  of  the 
building,  was  a  public  crane. 

The  exchange  stood  near  there,  on  arches,  across  the  foot  of  Broad 
street,  in  a  line  with  Water  street— was  taken  down  after  the  revolu- 
tion. Under  its  arches,  some  itinerant  preachers  used  occasionally  to 
preach. 

The  first  Presbyterian  church,  built  on  tlie  site  of  the  present  one 
in  Wall  street,  near  Broadway,  was  built  in  1719,  and  it  is  on  record 
in  Connecticut,  that  churches  there  took  up  collections  to  aid  the  pri- 
mitive building. 


MY  REFLECTIONS  AND  NOTICES. 

*'  When  I  travelled  I  saw  many  things, 

And  I  learned  more  than  I  can  express." — Eccl. 

In  my  travels  about  New  York,  looking  into  every  thing  with  the 
peering  eyes"  of  a  stranger,  I  saw  things  which  might  not  strike 
every  one,  and  which  I  am  therefore  disposed  to  set  down. 

New  York,  as  a  whole,  did  not  strike  me  as  a  deformity  that  it  had 
several  narrow  and  winding  lanes.  I  might  prefer  for  convenience  of 
living,  straighter  and  wider  streets,  as  their  new  built  ones  in  every 
direction  are ;  but  as  a  visiter,  it  added  to  my  gratification,  to  wind 
through  the  unknown  mazes  of  the  place,  and  then  suddenly  to  break 
upon  some  unexpected  and  superior  street  or  buildings,  passing  in 
another  direction.  It  gives  entertainment  to  the  imagination,  to  see 
thus,  the  lively  tokens  of  the  primitive  Dutch  taste  for  such  streets ; 
and  the  narrow  lanes,  aided  the  fancy  to  conceive,  how,  the  social 
Knickerbockers,  loved  the  narrow  lanes  for  their  social  conveniences, 
when  setting  in  their  stoopes  in  evenings,  on  either  side  the  narrow 
pass,  they  enjoyed  themselves  in  social  Dutch,  not  unlike  the  "  social 
vehicles,"  now  used  for  travelling  up  and  down  broadway,  and  ranging 
the  passengers  face  to  face. 

I  felt  also  pleased  and  gratified  with  the  great  variety  of  painted 
brick  houses;  done  of  necessity,  because  their  bricks  are  inferior 
generally,  but  giving  them  occasion  to  please  the  eye  with  numerous 
fancies. 

I  most  disliked  their  marked  compliment  to  our  Philadelphia  brick, 
in  painting  numerous  brick  houses  in  the  precise  red  colour  of  our 
unpainted  bricks.  A  brick  of  dead  red,  has  no  beauty  of  itself; — 
almost  any  other  colour,  in  my  judgment,  would  surpass  it. 

This  is  peculiarly  the  town  of  "  merry  church  going  bells."  '1  heir 
numerous  spires  as  ornaments,  seem  to  demand  the  others,  as  apologies 
for  such  expensive  steeples.  In  Philadelphia,  in  other  days,  the  in- 
habitants petitioned  that  a  part  of  their  few  bells  should  be  dismounted 
or  silenced,  because  they  disturbed  the  sick.  Do  not  the  sick  hear 
them  in  New  York?— or  are  they  still  "  merry  bells"  to  them  ! 

There  is  something  in  New  York,  that  is  a  perpetual  ideal  London 
to  my  mind,  and  therefore  more  a  gratification  to  me  to  visit,  than  to 
abide.  The  stir  and  bustle ;  the  perpetual  emulation  to  excel  in  dis- 
K 


74 


My  ReJIections  and  Notices- 


play  ;---the  various  contrivances,  by  signs  and  devices,  to  allure  and 
catch  the  eye ;— the  imitations  of  London,  and  foreign  cities  and 
foreigners ;  rather  than  our  own  proper  republican  manners  and  prin- 
ciples, struck  my  attention  every  where.  The  very  ambition  to  be 
the  metropolitan  city,  like  London,  gave  them  cares  which  I  am  very 
willing  to  see  remote  enough  from  Philadelphia— I  am  fully  willing, 
ours  shall  long  be  "  the  peaceful  city  of  Penn."  Why  do  we  want 
our  cities,  and  even  our  country,  dense  with  foreign  population  ?— Is 
there  no  maximum  point,  beyond  which  our  comforts  and  case  must 
proportionably  diminish  ?    I  fear  so. 

New  York  is  distinguished  for  its  display  in  the  way  of  signs 
every  device  and  expense  is  resorted  to,  to  make  them  attractive ; 
crowding  them  upon  every  story  and  even  upon  the  tops  and  ends  of 
some  houses.  One  small  house  in  Beekman  street,  has  twelve  sign^^ 
of  lawyers  ;  and  at  155  Pearl  street,  the  name  of  Tilldon  and  Roberts, 
were  painted  on  the  stone  steps  of  the  door  i 

"  A  wilderness  of  strange  but  gay  confusion." 
In  truth,  it  struck  me  as  defeating  its  own  purpose,  for  the  glare  of 
them  was  so  uniform  as  to  loose  the  power  of  discrimination.    It  is 
not  unlike  the  perpetual  din  of  their  own  carriage  wheels  unnoticed 
by  themselves,  though  astounding  to  others. 

These  signs  however,  had  some  interest  for  me,  and  especially  along 
Pearl  street,  where  they  were  of  tamer  character,  than  in  Broadway, 
and  were  so  much  the  easier  read.  There  I  read  and  considered  the 
nomenclature  of  the  town.  I  saw  by  them  that  strangers  had  got  hold 
of  the  business  and  the  wealth  of  the  place.  "  The  busy  tribes"  from 
New  England,  supplied  numerous  names;  and  the  names  of  the 
Knickerbockers,  were  almost  rarities  in  their  own  homes !  Judicious 
persons  told  me  they  thought  full  one  half  of  all  the  business  done  in 
New  York,  was  "  by  the  pushing  Yankees,"  (I  mean  it  to  their  credit !) 
one  fourth  more  by  foreigners  of  all  kinds,  and  the  remainder  loft  a 
fourth  for  the  Knickerbockers ;  some  of  them  in  business,  but  many 
of  them  reposing  otivm  cum  dignitate,  on  the  surprisingly  increased 
value  of  their  real  estates.  The  ancients  who  still  linger  about  as 
lookers-on,  must  sigh  or  exclaim,  "  strangers  feed  our  flocks,  and 
aliens  are  our  vine  dressers !" 

Jones'  buildings,  or  Arcade,  in  Wall  street,  is  a  curious  contrivance 
for  mere  offices— a  real  London  feature  of  the  place !  where  ground  is 
precious. 


My  Reflections  and  Notices. 


75 


I  deem  it  strange,  that  in  so  rapidly  an  enlarging  city,  I  should  see 
tio  houses  "  to  let ;"— all  seen  occupied. 

The  frequency  of  fires,  and  their  alarms,  is  one  evil  of  over  large  po- 
pulation. The  cry  occurred  every  day  or  night  I  dwelt  in  the  city. 
An  old  man  (Mr.  Tabelee)  who  had  been  twenty -eight  years  a  fireman, 
told  me,  they  never  had  an  alarm  of  fire  in  summer,  in  olden  time. 

New  York  has  now  become  an  extremely  finely  paved  city.  For- 
merly, many  of  their  foot  walks  had  only  the  same  kind  of  round  peb- 
bles which  fill  the  carriage  way.  This  gave  occasion  to  Dr.  Franklin 
to  play  his  humour,  in  saying,  a  New  Yorker  could  be  known  by  his 
gait,  in  shufliing  over  a  Philadelphia  fine  pavement,  like  a  parrot  upon 
a  mahogany  table  !  Now,  their  large  flag  stones,  and  wide  foot  pave- 
ments, surpass  even  Philadelphia,  for  its  ease  of  walking ;  and  the  un- 
usual width  of  their  flag-stone  footways,  across  the  pebbled  streets  at 
the  corners,  is  very  superior. 

In  visiting  two  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  churches,  my  mind  ran  out 
m  various  meditations  and  reflections— I  thought  of  the  ancients  all 
gone  down  to  the  dust— of  their  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  decrees  of 
the  Synod  of  Dort  and  of  God — of  their  hope  that  their  own  language 
would  never  be  superceded  within  those  walls  which  they  had  reared  ! 
Now,  as  1  looked  around  among  the  congregation  for  Knickerbocker 
visages  and  persons,  I  saw  no  caste  of  character  to  mark  their  peculiar 
race.  You  may  descern  a  German  in  Pennsylvania,  as  a  coarser  mould ; 
but  not  so  the  Netherland  progeny  in  New  York,  Yet  such  as  I  found 
them,  they  were  the  only  and  last  remains  of  the  primitive  settlers  of 
New  Amsterdam ;— it  was  only  in  such  a  collection  of  descendents, 
that  you  could  hope  to  find,  if  at  all,  the  sesquipedalia  names  of  their 
ancestors,  such  as  these :— Mynheers  Varrevanger,  Vander  Schuven, 
S'ouwert  Olpheresse,  Vande  Spiegel,  Van  Bommel,  Hardenbroeck  and 
Ten  Broeck,  Boele  Roelofsen,  Van  Ruyven,  Ten  Eyck,  Verplanck 
Spiegelaer,  Van  Borssum,  &;c.  (fee. :— not  to  omit  the  least  of  all  little 
names,  "  De !"  These  were  names  of  men  of  property,  on  the  earliest 
list  assessed,  now  extant. 

It  is  interesting  to  witness  occasionally,  here  and  there,  the  remains 
of  the  ancient  town,  as  the  houses  in  some  instances  of  humble 
wooden  fabric,  continue  as  they  were.  Thus  in  so  conspicuous  and 
wealthy  a  place  as  Broadway  and  the  Park,—"  tall  mansions  to  shame 
the  humble  shed,"— we  see  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Warren  and 
Broadway^  a  collection  down  each  street,  equal  to  four  houses  each 


76 


My  Reflections  and  Notices. 


way,  of  small  two  story  frames.  Down  Broad  street,  a  central  place, 
are  still  many  very  mean  looking  low  frames.  They  doubtless  retain 
their  places,  because  of  paying  better  renfts  for  their  value,  than  could 
be  derived  from  more  sightly  edifices. 

The  New  York  painters  of  fancy  wood,  are  certainly  peculiar  in 
their  skill  in  tasteful  decorations  or  accurare  imitations.  It  is  dis- 
played in  numerous  fine  imitations  of  oaken  doors— sometimes  in 
marble  pillars  and  posterns — some  line  imitations  of  the  pudding-stone 
columns,  which  cost  so  much  in  the  capital  of  Washington ; — but 
finally,  I  think  nothing  can  excel  the  excellency  of  the  painting  of 
the  north  Dutch  church  pulpit,  where  Dr.  Brcwnlee  is  pastor.  Every 
touch  of  it  is  true  to  the  character  of  the  bird-eye  maple,  and  having 
the  finest  possible  polish. 

With  more  time,  I  might  possibly  have  found  out  some  rarely  aged 
persons  of  good  experience  in  the  past.  I  saw  Sarah  Paul,  a  colored 
w^oman,  at  No.  23  Lombardy  street,  of  the  rare  age  of  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  years,*  as  it  was  estimated.  Her  memory  was  too  unstable  to 
rest  any  remarkable  facts  upon,  although  she  was  sufficiently  talkative. 
Another  relic  of  "  Lang  Syne,"  was  found  in  the  intelligent  mind  and 
active  person,  of  old  William  Ceely,  now  an  inmate  of  the  Alms-house 
at  Belle vue,  at  the  advanced  age  oi  one  hundred  and  eight.  'Tis  only 
in  the  last  year  that  he  walked  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  see  re- 
latives in  Connecticut.  How  strange  to  see  such  persons,  so  long 
escaped  the  "  thousand  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to !" 

Coney  Island  is  a  "  lonely  shore"  of  rare  advautage  to  New  York. 
We  can  never  hope  to  have  any  thing  to  compare  or  compete  with  its 
benefits,  as  a  recreation  and  a  salutary  change  "  for  the  cooped-up 
sickly  citizen."  A  greater  desideratum  cannot  be  imagined  for  the 
population  of  a  great  city,  devoted  to  their  daily  toil  of  business,  than 
the  power  of  reaching  sea-bathing,  in  a  cheap  and  moderate  ride  of 
but  two  hours.  There  to  eat  a  meal,  or  spend  a  night,  and  return 
home  "  with  nerves  new  braced,  and  sinews  firmer  strung !"  Such  a 
place  is  Coney  Island,  having  a  dashing  surf,  and  good  house  of  ade- 
quate entertainment.  If  its  worth  is  duly  appreciated  as  a  means  of 
refreshing  and  invigorating  the  city  population,  it  will  be  deemed  an 
invaluable  acquisition ! 

Though  but  a  looker-on  in  New  York,  like  others,  of  "  no  particu- 
lar business,"  I  nevertheless  felt  myself  occasionally  cliarged  with 


^  She  died  in  February,  1829. 


My  Reflections  and  Notices, 


77 


every  body*s  concerns,  and  thought  myself  not  unlike  Knickerbocker 
himself — a  mysterious  gentleman  "  very  inquisitive,  continually  poking 
about  town  and  prying  into  every  thing," — seizing  when  he  could, 
facts  "  trembling  on  the  lips  of  narrative  old  age,"  just  as  they  were 
"  dropping  piece  meal  into  the  tomb."  With  the  best  intentions  to  be 
unintrusive  and  civil,  a  quid  nunc  must  sometimes  traverse  gruff  na- 
tures, who  having  no  feelings  in  sympathy  with  the  subjects,  feel  fret- 
ted by  the  kindest  questions.  They  are  indeed  rare  occurrences ;  and 
when  happening,  are  more  likely  to  afford  amusement  to  the  calm  in- 
quirer than  to  vex  him.  I  could  tell  anecdotes  of  some  such  occasional 
incidents,  but  one  may  here  suffice. 

Passing  along  a  certain  street  and  seeing  the  house  which  had  been 
occupied  as  the  primitive  Methodist  meeting — now  a  small  store,  1 
concluded  to  stop  in  and  inquire  whether  any  facts  concerning  its 
early  days,  had  ever  been  spoken  of  it  in  their  presence.  I  took  for 
granted  that  the  inmate  was  a  New  Yorker ; — but  I  was  no  sooner  en- 
tered  than  I  perceived  it  was  occupied  by  a  debonair  foreigner,  who, 
with  much  vivacity  and  seeming  politeness,  was  already  on  the  ap- 
proach from  a  back  apartment.  It  struck  me  instantly,  as  an  affair 
7nal  apropos  on  both  sides !  For  I  could  readily  read  in  his  face  that 
he  expected  in  me  a  guest  by  whom  to  make  his  profit.  It  was  not 
perhaps  to  the  credit  of  the  gentleman  that  I  should,  beforehand,  con- 
ceive that  he  would  revolt  at  any  question  about  "  a  Methodist  meet- 
ing," let  me  put  it  in  what  form  of  gentleness  I  Avould  :  But  it  was  so. 
I  had  no  sooner,  in  set  words  of  intended  brevity,  told  the  objects  of 
my  stepping-in,  than  I  perceived  "  the  hectic  of  the  moment"  mant- 
ling his  cheeks  ;  and  I  began  to  think  if  1  could  only  preserve  my  self- 
possession,  I  might  see  the  enactment  of  "  Monsieur  Tonson"  himself! 
His  first  replication  was — "my  God  saire  !  what  have  I  to  do  wid  de 
Metodiste  meeting !"— Excuse  me,  sir,  I  replied,  that  is  what  I  cannot 
answer,  because,  I  came  to  ask  you  what  you  had  ever  heard  of  this 
house.  "  Why  saire,  what  have  you  to  do  wid  dis  house  ?"  Very 
much,  sir,  as  a  matter  of  curiosity ;  for  here  it  was  said,  was  cradled 
a  religious  people  now  the  strongest  in  numerical  force  in  the  United 
States !  "  Ah  saire,  dat  is  noting  to  me— I  am  no  Metodiste  !"  Oh, 
sir,  replied  I,  I  am  satisfied  of  that.  "  Then  saire,  wat  do  you  want  ?" 
I  told  you  that  at  first,  sir,  when  I  introduced  myself  and  subject.  "  I 
have  no  interest  in  the  subject,"  said  he.  So  I  perceive,  said  I,  and  I 
am  only  sorry  I  have  engaged  so  much  of  your  time  to  so  little  mu- 
tual benefit. 


73 


My  Reflections  and  Notices. 


Perceiving  him  so  tempest  tost,  on  so  small  a  subject— all  "  to  waft 
a  featlier,  or  to  drown  a  fly  !"  I  constrained  him  to  hear  me  a  little 
longer,  while  I  should  tell  him  a  little  of  the  primitive  history  of  the 
house,  under  the  plausible  kindness  of  enabling  him  to  give  more  di- 
rect answers  to  future  enquirers,  if  ever  again  questioned  concerning 
his  notable  place.  His  nervous  impatience,  in  the  mean  time,  was 
apparent  enough,  but  he  had  to  bear  it,  for  it  was  impossible  to  quarrel 
w  ith  my  gentleness  and  urbanity  ;  and  he  could  not  but  be  half-afraid 
his  troubler  "  was  lunatic  and  sore  vexed,"  as  one  too  often  visiting 

the  glimpses  of  the  moon  !"  We  parted  with  mutual  bows  and  civi- 
lities, and  both  "  preserved  our  honors  !" 

As  I  had  looked  in  vain  for  any  thing  like  primitive  remains  of 
"Oranje  Boven"  in  the  Dutch  churches  of  New  York,  I  would  fain 
have  followed  Knickerbocker  himself  to  their  "  last  hold  "  at  Commu- 
nipaw^'-a.  name  itself  sufficiently  sounding  and  mysterious  to  invite  a 
stranger  to  an  infection  and  exploration,— to  learn,  if  he  could,  what, 
it  means  and  what  it  exhibits.  Its  allurement,  to  me,  would  have  been 
to  catch  there  a  living  picture  of  those  characteristics  appropriated  to 
it  by  its  comic  historian,  saying,  "  it  is  still  one  of  the  fastnesses 
whither  the  primitive  manners  of  our  Dutch  forefathers  have  retreated 
and  still  are  cherished  with  devout  affection."  The  pleasure  of  a  vi- 
sit to  such  a  place,  I  w^as  not  favored  to  indulge  ;  but  if  it  answers  the 
description,  it  is  the  spot  which  the  sons  of  Oranje  Boven,  should  spe- 
cially consecrate  to  Dutch  memory,  by  holding  there  their  occasional 
festivals  in  rude  simplicity ;— reviving  there  the  recollection  of  their 
ancestors  by  crowning  their  festive  boards  with  the  very  diet  in  kind, 
which  they  once  prized,— such  as  Suppawn  and  Malk,  Hoof  Kaas, 
Zult,  Hokkies  en  Poetyes,  Kool  Slaa,  Roltetje,  Worst,  Gofruyt  Pens, 
&c.  &c. 


0=  The  original  JSISS.  book,  from  which  the  preceding  notices  of  JSTew  York 
have  been  taken,  has  been  given  to  the  Historical  Society  of  that  place.  Among 
a  few  of  its  articles  omitted  in  the  present  print,  was  the  form  and  manner  of 
the  queries  usually  submitted,  or  explained  in  substance,  to  the  aged,  as  a  means 
of  eliciti7ig  the  information  required.  It  may  be  usefully  consulted  by  those 
who  may  desire  further  to  pursue  the  subject. 


I 


